[alloysteel]

What this article is saying, then, is that people should stay home and die. That makes sense.

People go to hospitals because they are in desperate need of medical attention, and may have a condition that is life-threatening already. They are making a bet that the medical professionals there won't make an error, or that the aseptic conditions presumed to be maintained at the hospital won't be breached by a failure in housekeeping, or that they won't be turned away because of some rules set by a third party, or because there is no other place for them to go.

Mostly, they make good on the bet. When they don't, only the lawyers win.

[webstersII]

"People go to hospitals because they are in desperate need of medical attention"

Not true. Many cases are of people who go in for elective surgery or a relatively minor condition. But people don't understand the dangers inherent in hospitals so they don't think of any negative consequences to it.

The other item that the article didn't really highlight is that, according to a study reported in the JAMA, many of the people who die will die from severe reactions to prescription drugs. Apparently sometimes they don't monitor the patient's condition very closely to look for reactions until it's too late.