Patient Safety
Exploring Quality of Care in the U.S.
More than 1 million patients suffer harm each year while being treated in the U.S. health care system. Even more receive substandard care or costly overtreatment. Our ongoing investigation of patient safety features in-depth reporting, discussion and tools for patients.
Why Patients Don’t Report Medical Errors
Patient safety flaws remain hidden if no one finds out about them. Now, a federal health care quality agency is planning a new effort to encourage disclosure of medical mistakes.
Discover The Quality of Nursing Homes Near You
Easily search nursing home inspection reports nationwide, with our updated app.
How You Can Help ProPublica Investigate Health Care Quality
Be part of the patient safety conversation, get regular updates and share stories or views.
Resource: Dealing With The Media
A patient safety advocate shares lessons she’s learned about journalism with others who have suffered medical harm.
A Costly Equation: Medical Dollars Wasted Are Greater Than the U.S. Defense Budget
New report analyzes the cost of medical waste in America.
Author: Health Care Reform Is No Solution to Patient Harm
Patient safety advocate Rosemary Gibson thinks the too-big-to-fail health care industry lacks accountability and a forceful mandate to improve.
Resource: Finding Unexpected Allies
How a mother whose child died from medical error moved beyond her pain to protect other patients.
Why Patient Harm Is One of the Leading Causes of Death in America
In his new book, surgeon Marty Makary gives his thoughts on why patient harm persists, and what to do about it. He sat down with us for a Q&A.
To Stent Or Not To Stent, That Is In Question
As Hospital Corporation of America comes under scrutiny, experts say unnecessary heart procedures are common, costing taxpayers, driving insurance premiums and putting patients at risk.
Why Can't Medicine Seem to Fix Simple Mistakes?
The death of 12-year-old Rory Staunton from septic shock prompted NYU's Langone Medical Center to revamp its emergency room procedures to address a startling lapse. History shows that the profession is unlikely to learn from this mistake.
Cardiac Arrest: Hospital Refuses to Give Widow her Husband's Heart
After eight years, the hospital that performed Jerry Carswell's autopsy acknowledges it has his heart, but still won't give it to his wife.
Could The Supreme Court’s Health Care Ruling Kill Patient Safety Reforms?
In all the talk about the Supreme Court’s impending health care reform ruling, one question is often overlooked: What might happen to the many patient safety and quality of care provisions sprinkled through the Affordable Care Act?
