A remarkable body of evidence substantiates that inadequate staffing is costly . -- The Institute of Medicine attributes a staggering 17 billion dollars to the cost of medical errors . -- The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations asserts that inadequate staffing precipitated one quarter of all unexpected occurrences that led to patient deaths , injuries or permanent loss of function . -- A report by Voluntary Hospitals Association determined that organizations with higher turnover rates ( 21 % or more ) had a 36 percent higher cost per discharge rate than hospitals with lower turnover rates of 12 percent or less .