Safe, not Brilliant

Summary: Mass General Brigham hospital recently announced that it improved patient safety and saved 1,400 lives. While the hospital did make some good changes, like better team communication, some doctors think the numbers are a bit of a trick.

How did they do it? First, they moved more dying patients to hospice care, which means those deaths don't count on the hospital's record. Second, they changed how they record patient data to make people look sicker on paper. This makes the "expected" number of deaths go up, so the real number of deaths looks much better in comparison. True patient safety is about good daily habits and safe doctors, not just clever math.

Source: American Council on Science and Health URL: acsh.org/news/2026/06/01/safe-not-brilliant-50146 (opens in new tab)