Healthcare Risk Management articles from February 2002

Healthcare Risk Management archives from February 2002

Once more, with feeling: wrong-site surgery is still an unsolved problem, Joint Commission is losing patience with major errors.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations )
February 1, 2002... Wrong-site surgery is the kind of medical error that for a long time seemed so egregious that there was no need to directly address it with prevention efforts. No more. The Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of...

Streamline procedures to lower odds of big errors.(wrong-site surgery)
February 1, 2002... The Institute for Healthcare Improvement, a Boston nonprofit offering advice on reducing medical errors, suggests that streamlining procedures can help prevent wrong-site surgery. This is some of the advice offered by the institute: *...

Errors: What we have is a failure to communicate.
February 1, 2002... An analysis of the wrong-site surgery incidents reported to the Oakbrook Terrace, IL-based Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations indicates that shoddy communication is the main cause of most wrong-site surgery. ...

Found: 13-inch retractor was left inside a patient.
February 1, 2002... Surgeons in Seattle accidentally left a 13-inch metal retractor inside a patient for a month, leading to a $97,000 settlement and a change in hospital procedures for counting instruments. The hospital admitted that this was not the first...

Bioterrorism plans grow from variety of sources.
February 1, 2002... As health care organizations race to develop a plan for treating patients exposed to bioterrorist agents, more resources are becoming available. Two of the most recent offerings are a comprehensive preparedness plan developed by the Stanford...

Doctor faces charges for Oxycontin 'scripts.(Randolph W. Lievertz)
February 1, 2002... An Indiana doctor who served as a paid spokesman for the manufacturer of Oxycontin, the powerful pain medication that has become a hot button because of its potential for abuse, has been arrested by federal authorities and charged with...

Hospital wins suit over surgeons and privilege.
February 1, 2002... A New York surgeon must pay the legal fees and costs incurred by a hospital he sued when his medical privileges were suspended. The hospital's attorney says the victory is a major step forward for hospitals that long feared the legal...

St. Paul discontinues malpractice insurance.
February 1, 2002... In another display of how the market for malpractice insurance is in serious trouble, the St. Paul Companies recently announced that it would discontinue its malpractice insurance coverage. The action comes as many health care providers are...

Pharmaceutical marketing practices face new scrutiny. (Guest Column).
February 1, 2002... Pharmaceutical manufacturers' drug pricing and marketing activities -- and the response of health care providers to these promotions -- are under closer federal scrutiny than ever. Risk managers, physicians, and other professionals should...

Group purchaser requires bar codes on medications. (Guest Column).
February 1, 2002... In an effort to reduce medical errors, Premier Inc. (Springfield, VA), which operates one of the nation's largest group-purchasing organizations serving hospitals, will require in its group contracts that covered medications and biological...

Look for specific hazards and then plan for problems.
February 1, 2002... Like life insurance, a disaster preparedness plan is something you hope you never have to use. But in case you do, you'd better have a darn good one in place -- especially if your worst-case scenario involves a nuclear accident. At...

Systems failure and basic staff response.(St. Joseph's Hospital, Savannah, GA)
February 1, 2002... Systems Failure and Basic Staff Response St. Joseph's Hospital, Savannah, GA Responsibility Failure of: What to expect: Who to contact: of user: Computer ...

Ease of access to deadly chemicals may be the greatest threat to hospital readiness: how close is your hospital to a railroad track?
February 1, 2002... Though biological agents have dominated recent terrorism discussions, ease of access to deadly chemicals may make them a greater threat to hospital readiness, experts emphasized recently at the University of Georgia in Athens. "Eighty new...

Teen-ager dies after tonsillectomy: $9 million verdict in KY.
February 1, 2002... News: To alleviate his apnea, a 17-year-old boy was admitted to a hospital for a tonsillectomy. The surgery was successful and morphine was administered to address his pain. The morphine complicated his apnea, leading to his death. Plaintiffs...