Medication errors could lead to high variance rates.

Abstract

Medication errors could be contributing to high variance rates and treatment costs for patients placed on your clinical pathways, and you might not even know it, experts say. The problem is potentially severe. One recent study found a 9% error rate in admixtures overall and potentially catastrophic 34.4% to 56.7% error rates for potassium chloride mixtures. However, experts claim that hospitals could go a long way toward solving their admixture error problems by simply switching to ready-to-use products and having nurses record actual medications per day on clinical pathways. Meanwhile, HCFA is about to make official a new ceiling for errors: 2%, vs. the old 5% rate. This could pose serious problems for hospitals dependent on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.