--- title: Medical Errors Are the Third Leading Cause of Death: Study description: Medical errors, like misdiagnosis and medication problems are a leading cause of death in America canonical: https://time.com/4316818/leading-cause-of-death-medical-errors/ author: Mandy Oaklander article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-05-03T22:30:33.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:55:41.087Z article:section: Health og:title: Medical Mistakes Are the Third Leading Cause of Death: Study og:description: Medical errors, like misdiagnosis and medication problems are a leading cause of death in America og:url: https://time.com/4316818/leading-cause-of-death-medical-errors/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt030a8487ef8fa83d/6987789a8e060143c4459947/health-syringe-needle-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1817 og:image:height: 1022 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Health Syringe Needle og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Medical Mistakes Are the Third Leading Cause of Death: Study twitter:description: Medical errors, like misdiagnosis and medication problems are a leading cause of death in America twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt030a8487ef8fa83d/6987789a8e060143c4459947/health-syringe-needle-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Medical Errors Are the Third Leading Cause of Death: Study > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=da1f7f32-e59e-48e0-a382-0ff177936cc1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: How $1,000 Could Help Your Health [Watch (HLS stream): How $1,000 Could Help Your Health](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/EILRa37f.m3u8) (2:01)  _Published 2014-08-22. From acupuncture to yoga, $1,000 can go a long way to improving your health._  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. May 3, 2016 10:30 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME  by [Mandy Oaklander](https://time.com/author/mandy-oaklander/)  ## Mandy Oaklander Oaklander is a senior editor at TIME. May 3, 2016 10:30 PM UTC Heart disease, then cancer are the leading causes of death for Americans. Chronic lower respiratory diseases like bronchitis and emphysema take third place, according to leading health groups. But that spot really belongs to a cause of death that doesn’t even make the current list, according to a new paper published in _The BMJ_. The third-most deadly killers of Americans are medical errors, accounting for more than 250,000 deaths each year, the analysis says. “Collectively, the problem of medical care gone wrong kills a substantial number of people in the United States,” says Dr. Martin Makary, a surgeon and professor of health policy and management at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Makary and his colleague looked at four studies analyzing U.S. death rate data and determined that about 9.5% of all deaths result from medical errors. Medical errors encompass a range of potentially harmful mistakes a provider or hospital system could make: misdiagnosis, administering the wrong dosage of a medication or neglecting the care of a patient because of a communication breakdown. Errors like these can be benign, but they can also cause people who have otherwise long life expectancies to meet an untimely death. On a death certificate, a person’s cause of death is recorded by a billing code, and medical errors aren’t on the list of options, Makary says. That means deaths by medical error are being classified in other ways, and medical errors aren’t being counted by national statistics that determine threats to the health of Americans—and therefore the funding priorities for research. “In the old school of medicine, it was not well recognized that people actually die from the care that they receive rather than the disease or illness for which they seek care,” he says. Now, a strong body of scientific literature documents the role of medical errors and the importance of patient safety, and “we should have a more open and honest conversation about the problem,” he says. ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] $ 1, 000 can really put you on the road to good health, or at least to better health. A lot of workers say that they're really stressed, unless productive. But half of workers say that stress makes them less productive at work. And there are a lot of studies that show that people who are more stressed have higher medical bills. And that makes sense. If you are stressed you may miss more work. You may go, go to doctor more often. So if you can invest $ 1000, you can really improve your health and lower your own costs. Yoga is a great way to reduce stress. It helps you with deep breathing, relaxation exercises. And a mindfulness that can really reduce your tension. Yoga classes cost about $ 15 to $ 20 each, at, that would get you doing downward dog about twice a week for six months. Acupuncture is another great way to reduce stress. It may be covered by your health insurance, so check that first. If not, acupuncture sessions cost about $ 16 to $ 120. Modern exercise has been proven as a great way to reduce stress. To incorporate it on a regular basis in your busy life, consider riding your bike to and from work. Or, taking a bike ride when you get home from work in the evening. Now, a good bike can cost you $ 1000. But think of it as a long- term investment, a good bike will last you many. If you have 10 thousand dollars, there's a lot you can do to invest in your health. A personal trainer, may give you the motivation you need to exercise, that you might not be able to do on your own. That costs you about 50 dollars a session, which could give you about 100 sessions, that you could spread out over two years. Another great way to. T find someone to motivate you is to consult a nutritionist. A first- time session with a nutitionist will cost about $ 150. But, if you wanna do follow- up sessions, to create say a health plan to see how you're doing, that'll cost you about $ 100. See if your health insurance may cover that, as well. 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