Docs make 12 million outpatient diagnostic errors every year

As hospitals focus more on quality measures and lowering readmissions , they also look to cut back on diagnostic errors , which occur in about 5 percent of U.S. adults, accumulating in as many as 12 million outpatient diagnostic errors each year, according to a study published in the BMJ Quality & Safety.

Researchers examined three studies through chart review and found missed opportunities to make a timely and correct diagnosis based on the available evidence. They used the findings from one study to estimate the diagnostic error rate for acute conditions and...