Under the law, Medicare is mandated each year to punish the 25% of general care hospitals that have the highest rates of patient safety issues. The assessment is based on rates of infections, blood clots, sepsis cases, bedsores, hip fractures and other complications that occur in hospitals and might have been prevented. Morsa Images/Getty Images hide caption
Just as sleep deprivation has been shown to impair cognition, so too has it been found to dampen empathy for others. Johner Images/Getty Images hide caption
RaDonda Vaught appears at a court hearing with her attorney, Peter Strianse, in February. Vaught, a former nurse at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, was charged with reckless homicide after a medication error killed a patient. Mark Humphrey/AP hide caption
Contrast agent, a drug that enhances CT scans, is sometimes skipped because of concerns about side effects. Morsa Images/Getty Images hide caption
Food and Drug Commissioner Scott Gottlieb tweeted Tuesday that he is ready to implement a right-to-try law "in a way that achieves Congress' intent to promote access and protect patients." Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption
A proposed change in work rules would let first-year residents care for patients for up to 28 hours without getting a chance to sleep. Thomas Northcut/Getty Images hide caption
After several prominent safety problems with medical devices in hospitals emerged, the Food and Drug Administration inspected 17 hospitals across the country in late 2015 to assess their compliance with reporting regulations. Congressional Quarterly/CQ-Roll Call, Inc./Getty Images hide caption
A new rule by an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services preserves the right of patients and families to sue nursing homes in court. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
Dr. Lars Aanning, seen at his home outside Yankton, S.D., said he lied to protect a colleague in a malpractice case. Now, Aanning is a patient safety advocate. Jay Pickthorn/AP for ProPublica hide caption
The Clinical Center on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Md., is an internationally renowned hospital where patients are also research subjects. NIH/Flickr hide caption
A shuttle bus exits a secure gate at Napa State Hospital after a media tour in 2011. J.L. Sousa/ZUMAPRESS.com/Corbis hide caption
Diagnosis by text or a phone call is often convenient and popular with patients. But is it good medicine? Apriori/iStockphoto hide caption
The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., is one of Medicare's 5-star rated hospitals. Mayo Clinic/Flickr hide caption
Will the pump talk to the computer that holds the patient's records? iStockphoto hide caption
Dr. Chuck Denham gave the keynote speech at a patient safety conference held at the Cleveland Clinic in 2011. Safety Leaders/Flickr hide caption
Advocates for patient safety have had to confront the reality that steps taken to improve the quality of health care can also present opportunities for corruption and conflict of interest. Pascal Fossier/Ikon Images/Corbis hide caption
If they make a mistake, will they let you know? Probably not, a survey finds. Corbis hide caption
For someone with a serious injury, it's not just a matter of getting in the door at the closest hospital, but getting in the door at the right hospital, says Dr. Arthur Kellermann, an emergency medicine specialist. micheal kennedy/iStockphoto hide caption
Distraction is a well-known safety issue in the OR, but there's been very little research on whether smartphones are contributing to the problem. iStockphoto.com hide caption