Hospitals Owning Up to Their Mistakes

US News and World Reports  By Beth Howard  |  July 12, 2013   –   Malpractice lawyers have long counseled doctors and hospitals not to admit to medical mishaps, much less apologize for them. But the twin imperatives of improving safety and cutting the soaring cost of health care are inspiring a different tack.

Several years ago, the University of Michigan Health System pioneered the Disclosure, Apology and Offer model, in which patients who have been the victim of an error are quickly told, issued an apology and offered a settlement – a stark contrast to the traditional “deny and defend” approach. Since then, legal costs have dropped by 60 percent, and the system has had 36 percent fewer medical claims lodged against it, according to a 2010 study in the Annals of Internal Medicine.  Read more