Most people inherently believe that the American healthcare system is safe.
Errors are costly not only in terms of lives lost, longer hospital stays, recovery and disability, but also in the erosion of trust, confidence, and satisfaction among patients and physicians. One major contributing factor undermining safety in healthcare today is the decentralized nature of the delivery system. Often there are multiple contacts in the continuum of care, and providers typically do not have a complete record of patient information. As a result, treatment decisions are poorly coordinated or inconsistent. Medical errors are an inherent by-product of this compartmentalized system.