Foundation fights medical errors that claim 200,000 US lives a year

Medical error is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and one organization believes those deaths can be stopped.

The Patient Safety Movement Foundation (PSMF), a nonprofit founded in 2012, has set an ambitious goal: zero preventable patient deaths by 2030.

"What we're asking is not rocket science," Dr. Michael Ramsey, the foundation's CEO, said in an exclusive interview with HealthDay TV. "What we are asking is basic human safety factors being put in place."

Some estimates put the U.S. death toll from medical error as high as 200,000 people a year, which would make it the third-leading cause of death, according to the foundation. Worldwide, the toll may reach 3 million, more than malaria, tuberculosis and HIV combined, according to PSMF.

Many of those deaths are preventable, Ramsey said. Common causes include medication mistakes, misdiagnosis, hospital-acquired infections and sepsis, a life-threatening response to infection that can turn deadly within hours.