Adverse Events in Hospitals: National Incidence Among Medicare Beneficiaries - 10-Year Update

OIG has conducted studies about adverse events (patient harm) in various healthcare settings since 2008, with 15 reports released or in process through 2019. The series includes a congressionally-mandated study released in 2010 that found that 27 percent of Medicare beneficiaries experienced adverse events or temporary harm events while hospitalized in 2008. The current study will replicate the methodology used in the prior work for a sample of Medicare beneficiaries admitted to acute-care hospitals in 2018. We will measure the incidence of adverse events and temporary harm events, the extent to which the harms were preventable given better care, and the associated costs to Medicare. We will compare the 2018 results with the prior study results to assess progress in reducing harm at the 10-year mark, and identify differences in harm rates, types, contributing factors, preventability, and costs.

Announced or Revised	Agency	Title	Component	Report Number(s)	Expected Issue Date (FY)
Completed	Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services	Adverse Events in Hospitals: National Incidence Among Medicare Beneficiaries - 10-Year Update	Office of Evaluation and Inspections	OEI-06-18-00400	2022