States With Highest Death Rates From Medical Care Complications

Medical errors are a serious threat to health systems worldwide. One recent study estimated that 400,000 hospitalized patients experience some sort of preventable harm in the United States each year, with the total costs of medical errors judged to be tens of billions of dollars. According to official U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) numbers, there were 12,000 deaths due to complications of medical and surgical care in the U.S. from 2021 to 2023.

As the population ages, deaths due to medical error are rising. Older patients are particularly vulnerable to health complications from medical error, with even small mistakes like a missed dosage or misread test result carrying outsized consequences. Deaths due to medical and surgical care complications are ultimately a function of health care quality and vary widely from state to state.

In Wyoming, for example, there are 2.2 deaths due to medical and surgical care complications per 100,000 residents, more than twice the national average. The states with the highest rates of death from error also tend to have higher rates of medical malpractice, lower health care salaries, and fewer physicians per capita. A closer look at the data reveals the states with the most deaths from complications of medical and surgery.