Medication Error Leads to $250,000 Settlement

Community Regional Medical Center, based in Fresno, California, has agreed to pay $250,000 to the family of Elena Silva who died after receiving a massive dosage of blood thinning medication. Silva died as a result of the medication error.
In December 2010, when Elena Silva was admitted to the hospital complaining of pain and numbness in her arm, she was administered 50 times the prescribed amount of heparin.
A 2006 study by the Institute of Medicine found that the most common medical error in the United States concerns medication errors. Such medical mistakes cost the United States economy $3.5 billion in lost wages and medical expenses each year.