PATIENTS FALLING FROM HOSPITAL BEDS

My daughter-in-law called to tell me that her mom's friend had fallen out of a hospital bed and went into a coma and died. She was only there for a minor surgery. This was a surprising event. No one had expected for this to happen.

Patient falls are the most common injuries reported in hospitals. Many hospitals are making simple changes. For example, patients aren't given diuretics before bedtime, as a full bladder might tempt patients to make a nighttime bathroom trip by themselves — a classic scenario for a fall.

Some hospitals avoid drugs that could impair a patent's balance. They are also using beds that can be lowered to the floor so that if patients fall out, they won't fall far.

All this patient protection isn't just happening out of benevolence. In some states, hospitals now have to publicly report their fall rates. There is also a financial incentive: Medicare will no longer pay for costs related to certain hospital falls. Those falls can add more than $4,000 in excess charges per hospitalization.