More people died in the past year because of mistakes at Minnesota hospitals than during any year since 2008.

A new report from the Minnesota Department of Health found 316 so-called “adverse health events” took place at hospitals between October 2014 and October 2015. The total is miniscule compared to the number of patients treated at Minnesota hospitals each year. Still, the report found some causes for concern.

The findings include 93 incidents that led to a patient being seriously injured, and 16 that led to the death of a patient. The number of medication errors are on the rise. But patient injuries and deaths due to falls and cases involving foreign objects left inside patients after surgery both dropped significantly.

“Behind every single one of these events is a patient and a family. We should never forget that,” said Dr. Rahul Koranne, the hospital association’s chief medical officer.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS also broke down the numbers by facility. Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul had the highest number of adverse events (11) relative to the number of patients it serves. But hospital officials said that’s because the facility has a very different, long-term patient population – one that’s more prone to developing ulcers, which is the most common adverse event.

The Minnesota Hospital Association emphasizes that the report is not the definitive word on hospital safety.

“I think we need to look at it differently than a stock market. It’s not about the number going up or down. It’s about the learning and it’s about the education,” Koranne said.

Koranne said hospitals will use the data contained in the report to develop ways to minimize adverse events in the future.

“We pay attention to this topic 365 days a year. So the numbers in here are not a surprise to us because we have known about them and have been working on them for the past year,” Koranne said.