Medical errors cause 251,454 persons to die every year. That ranks medical mistakes as the third leading cause of death in the U.S. behind only heart disease and cancer.

The BMJ, formerly known as the British Medical Journal, broke the story and published the findings of Dr. Martin Makary at:

http://www.bmj.com/content/353/bmj.i2139.full

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/study_suggests_medical_errors_now_third_leading_cause_of_death_in_the_us

Martin Makary, M.D., M.P.H., is professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.