No, I’m not talking about Obama’s “death panels” or any other such right-wing bullhockey. I’m talking about preventable medical errors and in-hospital infections, which continue to kill 200,000 Americans every year.

It’s nice to see the San Francisco Chronicle calling much-needed attention to the lack of progress in reducing the rate of preventable medical errors. Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine released a report (To Err Is Human) condemning the frequency of fatal medical errors and calling for reform. Predictably, the AMA and the national hospital associations screamed and yelled and cried, and reform efforts evaporated. Now, in 2009, the problem is worse than ever.

As alert readers of this blog will recall, the alarming rate of death due to medical errors was mentioned back in May during the height of the SWINE FLU! PANIC!!

Speaking of which, it’s time to check in on that terrifying killer disease: as of July 31, it has killed 1,154 people worldwide. That’s nothing to sneeze at, but it doesn’t hold a candle to the more than 4,000 CHILDREN who die EVERY DAY due to diarrhea. Of course, those children are basically dying because they’re poor and living without access to basic sanitation, clean water, and health care… why would CNN give a shit about that?