Healthcare Risk Management articles from August 2002

Healthcare Risk Management archives from August 2002

Root-cause analysis: Court steps in to affirm confidentiality in malpractice case: ruling makes them not subject to discovery.
August 1, 2002... Risk managers have feared that a root-cause analysis (RCA) could fall into the wrong hands ever since the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations began requiring them in response to sentinel events. An ongoing...

JCAHO defends hospital's right to keep it confidential.
August 1, 2002... Healthcare Risk Management obtained a copy of the amicus brief filed by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations in a West Virginia malpractice case, arguing that the defendant hospital's root-cause analysis qualifies...

Visit HRM, ED legal letter site.
August 1, 2002... We now offer free on-line access to www.hrm newsletter.com for Hospital Risk Management subscribers. The site features current and back issues of HRM and ED Legal Letter, also from American Health Consultants. Included on the site and in...

Houston Medical: of cameras and criticism.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Hospitals continue to open their doors to television producers, and some risk managers say the latest reality show is exploiting patients' most private moments with the hospital's blessing. Cameras have become much more common in health...

Don't miss opportunity with conference replay.
August 1, 2002... American Health Consultants is offering a replay of one of its most popular audio conferences--Put It in Writing: Keys to Effective Documentation--at the subscriber-only rate of $149. Don't miss out on this special opportunity to educate your...

Slip-and-fall cases may be routine, but still are a risk. (A back-to-basics primer).(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Slip-and-fall accidents can happen at any time of year and for a wide range of reasons. Bad weather, and the resulting wet, slippery floors, can greatly increase the likelihood of people slipping on your facility's floors, but these accidents...

Justice Department hits hospitals hard for fraud.
August 1, 2002... One hundred thirty-nine hospitals currently or formerly operated by Tenet Healthcare Corp. will pay the United States and 22 states $17 million to settle allegations that the facilities overcharged federal health care programs in connection...

AMA: States are in crisis of liability and of costs.
August 1, 2002... A report from the Chicago-based American Medical Association (AMA) says at least a dozen states are in a medical liability insurance crisis that has forced physicians to limit services, close practices, or move to other states. Annual...

Road to proportional malpractice reform.
August 1, 2002... Pennsylvania governor Mark Schweiker has indicated that he will sign into law a bill hailed by many as the first step in reforming the state's out-of-control malpractice liability system. The law will address the issue of joint and several...

A new path to prevent deadly MRI accidents.(Brief Article)
August 1, 2002... Following a horrific accident last year in which a young patient was killed, the American College of Radiology has issued new safety recommendations for the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines. Many of the new recommendations...

Legislation may give legal protection to patient safety.
August 1, 2002... Legislation making its way through Congress could represent a major improvement in the protections afforded information that is reported for the purposes of improving quality and patient safety. The legislation has been lauded by...

Delay in transfer results in death: $5 million awarded.
August 1, 2002... News: Following a seemingly minor automobile accident, a passenger was taken to the emergency room and admitted for overnight observation. Her condition worsened, and the next morning, she was transferred to a trauma center for emergency...

Ambulance errors lead to $10.2 million settlement.
August 1, 2002... News: While in route to a 911 call from the home of an infant experiencing febrile seizures, a dispatched ambulance became lost. Once it arrived on the scene and packed the infant for transport to the hospital, paramedics were instructed to...

Failure to notify leads to a $425,000 verdict in NJ.
August 1, 2002... News: After presenting to the emergency room, a young man died. Though his discharge papers identified him and contained the name and telephone number of his parents, his parents were not made aware of their son's death until they received the...