USA TODAY NETWORK in Partnership with Kaiser Health News Uncovers Deadly Results at U.S. Surgery Centers

Fatal flaws found in the most comprehensive investigation of the industry to date

USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), in an investigative partnership with Kaiser Health News, brought to light the deadly outcomes at U.S. stand-alone surgery centers. The joint investigation found at least 260 deaths at U.S. surgery centers since 2013 and was the most comprehensive reporting on the industry to date.

The heartbreaking investigation showed that some people died after simple procedures, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies, and others died after more complex procedures like those Medicare has approved to be performed in outpatient centers in recent years.

These outpatient facilities often do not have the same level of oversight, equipment and staff training required at full-service hospitals. Even so, Medicare officials have helped expand their use without conducting independent safety studies.

“This is the type of investigation that could ultimately help save lives,” said Chris Davis, head of investigative journalism at USA TODAY NETWORK. “The NETWORK and Kaiser Health News reporters who worked on the project have given a voice to people who trusted our medical system and feel it failed them.”

Led by Kaiser Health News and The Indianapolis Star, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK, a team of journalists pored through thousands of pages of court records and crisscrossed the U.S. to talk to injured patients or families of the deceased. For more than a year, using federal and state open records laws, reporters gathered more than 12,000 inspection records and 1,500 complaint reports, as well autopsies, EMS documents and medical records that became the foundation for this report.

For more on this series, please visit surgerycenters.usatoday.com

About USA TODAY NETWORK

USA TODAY NETWORK, part of Gannett Co, Inc. (NYSE: GCI), is the largest local-to-national media organization in the country, powered by our award-winning newsrooms and marketing solutions business. With deep roots in local communities spanning the U.S. with more than 100 brands, plus USA TODAY, we engage more than 110 million people every month through a diverse portfolio of multi-platform content offerings and experiences. For more information, visit www.gannett.com.

About Kaiser Health News

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nonprofit news service covering health issues. It is an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente. Based in KFF’s Washington, DC, offices, KHN has reporters across the nation, and partners with a wide range of print, digital and broadcast media.

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