In many countries, statistics are kept by mandatory reporting of perioperative mortality.

The report also calls for mandatory reporting of serious injuries and deaths caused by medical mistakes.

The study found 2,927 errors in the first 19 months of mandatory reporting, and 710 deaths.

In addition, Medicare officials will choose up to 100 hospitals to test the value of mandatory reporting.

Both common sense and empirical research lead naturally to the conclusion that mandatory reporting is a bankrupt policy.

But there probably needs to be mandatory reporting of serious events.

Proponents of mandatory reporting say that any mother would want to know the truth.

So far, federal health officials said, they have been unable to agree on the right mix of mandatory and voluntary reporting.

But he said officials were not prepared to endorse mandatory reporting of serious medical errors at this time.

We want to know more about how mandatory reporting has worked in states where it has been tried.