Medical blunders cost $675m

ACC claims skyrocket over 10 years.

The Accident Compensation Corporation has forked out close to $675 million in the last decade for patients injured after botched medical treatments, misdiagnosis, post-surgery infections and reactions to medications.

In the last 10 years, the number of treatment injury claims accepted by ACC has increased by 170 per cent, from 3269 accepted claims to 8832 in 2015/16.

Costs have increased by 490 per cent, from $20.8m to $123m, over the same period. And the governmentowned no-fault insurer suggests the figures are just the tip of the iceberg, with many treatment injuries bypassing the system.

A treatment injury — which before 2005 was called a “medical misadventure” injury — is a personal injury that has occurred during treatment provided by a registered health professional.

“Treatment” can mean a number of things including diagnosis, a decision on the treatment to be provided (including a decision not to provide treatment), a failure to provide treatment or to provide treatment in a timely manner, and the failure of any equipment — including implants and prosthetics.

Since 2006/07, just under $675m has been spent on the claims.

The public money went to compensation for lost earnings, hospital costs and ongoing treatment, and rehabilitation support.

Due to factors including demography, ACC said the statistics could not be taken as an accurate indication of the occurrence of treatment injuries or the quality of care.

This means that, potentially, many treatment injury issues are not lodged as claims.

Last December, Minister for ACC Nikki Kaye announced $15m to $20m would be invested over the next five years into preventing treatment injuries.

There’s a huge difference between a complication and poor care. Andrew Connolly, Medical Council chairman

But Medical Council chairman and surgeon Andrew Connolly said the majority of treatment injuries were not caused by mistakes, and were simply complications of treatment appropriately given. “There’s a huge difference between a complication and poor care,” he said.

Connolly said in surgery there was always a risk of things like discomfort and infection, and both constituted treatment injuries.

He said the increase in number of claims showed patients were getting appropriate assistance for their health needs, and the increase in cost could partly be put down to the increasing cost of healthcare.