As many as 98,000 people die each year from medical errors, according to the Institute of Medicine. The medical community is scrambling to try to make health care safer, but the effort has been hampered partly because of the way that errors are handled. When a mistake is made today, there is no legal requirement that a patient be told. The result is that those close to the error know of the mistake, but the event is kept secret. Left hidden, common medical mistakes — such as administering a drug incorrectly — are rarely identified quickly and studied for ways to make the health care system safer, researchers say. Hospitals are responsible for the care and treatment of the sick and injured. Mistakes on the part of hospital staff can have dire consequences. Doctors, nurses, physician's assistants, pharmacists, and hospital administrators can all make mistakes that directly affect patients. Even if the mistake was made by a single individual, the hospital may bear liability for the wrongdoing of its employee. If you or a loved one have been injured by a hospital mistake, please contact us today.