The costs of medical error in Massachusetts
Health care in Massachusetts is not as safe as it needs to be. Using insurance claims and survey data, we measured the financial and human cost of medical error and demonstrated the harmful impacts of these events. Read our research report, The Financial and Human Cost of Medical Error… and How Massachusetts Can Lead the Way in Patient Safety.

Key Findings
Medical errors are frequent, harmful, and costly
We identified nearly 62,000 preventable harm events and more than $617 million in excess health care insurance claims — accounting for more than one percent of the state’s Total Health Care Expenditures for 2017.
Medical harm erodes public trust in health care
In addition to long-lasting physical, emotional, and financial harms, survey respondents who experienced a medical error report a loss of trust in providers and the health care system, and many avoid health care altogether.
Communication matters
More than 60% of survey respondents were dissatisfied with the communication from their provider after the error. When providers communicate openly about errors, patients report lower levels of emotional harm.
Related News
Medical errors prevalent and costly, new survey of Massachusetts residents shows
Boston Globe
No drop in medical errors, but their human toll endures
CommonHealth WBUR
ssociation of open communication and the emotional and behavioural impact of medical error
BMJ Quality and Safety
What we’re doing about it
The Roadmap to Health Care Safety for Massachusetts is a strategic plan to propel investment, action, and transformative change.
Related Research
The Safety of Inpatient Health Care
New England Journal of Medicine
The Safety of Outpatient Health Care: Review of Electronic Health Records
Annals of Internal Medicine
The Public’s View on Medical Error in Massachusetts
Harvard School of Public Health
Patient Safety in the Commonwealth
RAND Corporation