Healthcare Risk Management articles from July 2003

Healthcare Risk Management archives from July 2003

SARS: risk managers must concern themselves with details others miss: virus could reappear next flu season; now is time to prepare. (Special Report: SARS and risk management).
July 1, 2003... If you're unsure what your hospital is doing to prepare for SARS, now's the time to get involved. The worst may still be to come with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), say federal health officials who warn that the deadly virus is...

Visit HRM, ED legal letter site.
July 1, 2003... 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 Thomson American Health Consultants. Included on the site...

What do you do if SARS shows up at your door? (Special Report: SARS and risk management).
July 1, 2003... SARS requires constant readiness, at least until health authorities determine that the virus is no longer spreading, says Susan Kinter, RN, JD, director of claims litigation and risk management at the University of Maryland Medical System in...

Toronto hospital enacts strict staff quarantine. (Special Report: SARS and risk management).
July 1, 2003... The hospital at the center of Toronto's SARS outbreak has responded with extensive precautions that risk managers find useful when planning their own response. North York General Hospital closed most of its services, including its emergency...

Attorney cautions against improper SARS responses. (Special Report: SARS and risk management).
July 1, 2003... Health care risk managers should exercise caution when implementing SARS-related work restrictions and other responses to the deadly virus, says Kent Jonas, JD, a labor and employment attorney with the firm of Thelen, Reid & Priest in San...

Hospital settles EMTALA violation for $12.5 million.
July 1, 2003... The parent company of Ravenswood Hospital Medical Center in Chicago has agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a 15-year-old boy who died when he was shot just outside the hospital and medical staff refused to...

Pharmacist meds review may reduce patient falls.
July 1, 2003... It's common for health care providers to have a process in which they review patients for their risk of falling, but too often that review does not include a pharmacist. A pharmacist's review of the patient's medications can dramatically reduce...

Jury awards millions for delay in C-section.
July 1, 2003... A Hayward, CA, jury recently returned a $14.85 million verdict against John Carper, MD, an Alameda family practitioner, and Alameda (CA) Hospital for delay in performing a cesarean, resulting in brain damage and cerebral palsy. The mother,...

$250k cap could save 25% of malpractice payouts.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages in medical malpractice cases would have saved 25% of nearly $1.2 billion in malpractice settlements and awards paid in Florida in just three years, according to a new report by Floridians for Quality...

Court ruling triples verdict by counting inflation twice.
July 1, 2003... A coalition of New York's leading health care providers and workers, representing close to 75 hospitals, is protesting a recent court ruling that they say has sent medical malpractice premiums spiraling out of control in New York State....

CE questions.
July 1, 2003... If you have any questions about the CE program, please contact customer service at (800) 688-2421. 1. Which statement accurately summarizes recent statements by Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson regarding SARS? A. The...

Attack in a psychiatric facility leads to $100,000 judgment.
July 1, 2003... News: A 42-year-old woman was involuntarily transferred from a community hospital to psychiatric facility after her attempted suicide. At the receiving facility, she was placed in an all-male ward, where she said she was sexually assaulted. A...

Fall and fractures lead to a $240,000 settlement.
July 1, 2003... News: After being admitted to a hospital for hip pain, a 69-year-old woman was allowed to walk about unassisted. Days later, X-rays showed she had a hip fracture, which was operated on. She was transferred to the nursing home next door to...

Organizations unveil patient safety road map: consensus report endorses 30 specific practices.
July 1, 2003... Some of the nation's leading health care and consumer groups have endorsed 30 patient safety practices they describe as a road map for better patient safety. These practices, they say, should be used universally in health care settings to...

PA state legislature puts patient safety in spotlight: new law requires patient safety committee, officer.
July 1, 2003... The health care industry may have what amounts to a love-hate relationship with government involvement in health care practices, but patient safety advocates in Pennsylvania can, at the very least, take heart in the intent of a new law recently...

Surveys gauge current state of HIPAA compliance: HIMSS, OIG release results of separate surveys.
July 1, 2003... Now that two significant HIPAA compliance deadlines have passed--the April 14 deadline for health care industry compliance with the privacy rule and the April 16 deadline for health care business operations to begin testing transactions and...

Popular PC applications can cause security leaks: is instant messaging compromising your PHI?(patient health information)
July 1, 2003... A report issued by Palisades Systems Inc. in Ames, IA, and Clive, IA-based HIPAA Academy, says that health care organizations that allow peer-to-peer (P2P) and instant messenger applications to run on their computer networks risk compromising...

Interim rule on monetary penalties to be replaced: final enforcement rule to take effect Sept. 16.
July 1, 2003... The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says its interim final rule establishing rules of procedure for the imposition of civil monetary penalties on entities that violate standards adopted under the administrative simplification...

Company develops business associate agreement: template created to fulfill HIPAA requirements.
July 1, 2003... One of the nation's leading medical messaging services has taken the lead in developing a sound business associate agreement to present to its clients to fulfill HIPAA requirements. Long Island, NY-based MEDFONE Inc., which works strictly...

WEDI seeks transaction and code set guidance: concerns over the compliance of trading partners.(Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange)
July 1, 2003... The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI) has asked Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson to provide guidance in light of the fact that a substantial number of covered entities will not be able to achieve compliance with...

Software can ease authorization process: electronic records keep facilities connected.
July 1, 2003... As with many areas of health care, new approaches in technology have been sought to ease the way into compliance with HIPAA. One example is the HIPAA GUARD program from Monterey, CA-based Integritas Inc. The program, which can be used...

Companies seek URAC security accreditation.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Ten companies operating in more than 20 different sites across the nation are in the process of seeking accreditation under URAC's HIPAA Security Accreditation Program for Covered Entities and Business Associates. URAC president Gary Carneal...

HIPAA.ICC.NET started to facilitate transmission.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Internet Commerce Corp. says it has created a new service to address the need for health care payers and providers to exchange health care transactions that conform with HIPAA requirements. The new service, known as HIPAA.ICC.NET, incorporates...