Criminalization of medical errors: when is a mistake more than just a mistake?

This article will review widely publicized cases involving healthcare providers against whom criminal charges have been brought, just at the moment that the idea of medical error disclosure is getting traction. This article will attempt to find similarities or patterns and propose that some level of control can be exercised over these matters. This article will address approaches to the issue that risk managers can take to prepare for possible cases, and ways that cases can be managed once charges have been filed. The author concludes that errors should be treated as what they are--errors, not criminal acts.