Healthcare Risk Management articles from June 2002

Healthcare Risk Management archives from June 2002

Disclosing another doctor's error creates dilemma: stay silent or speak the truth? It's necessary to (carefully) disclose malpractice suspicions.
June 1, 2002... It's not uncommon for a physician to find evidence suggesting that a patient received poor care from a previous doctor, sometimes indicating gross malpractice. But if the patient has no idea of the problem, what does the second physician...

Stay on top of EMTALA with audio conference.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Keep abreast of all the latest changes with EMTALA Update 2002, an audio conference sponsored by American Health Consultants. The conference, scheduled for Tuesday, June 4, 2002, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, will be presented by...

A new approach to M&M means learning from errors.
June 1, 2002... Morbidity and mortality conferences are familiar to every risk manager and physician, but not everyone looks upon them fondly. Though they are intended as an open analysis of complications and an opportunity to improve care, too many physicians...

M&M outline detail complications, questions.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Below is a typical M&M Matrix from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The outline is complication-oriented, each topic beginning with an analysis of the complication. The subheadings are particular areas discussed at the...

Staff memo gets M&M message to wider audience.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Below is a typical M&M Monday Memo from Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. It serves two purposes. It is the moderator's summary about the previous week's conference. It is narrative and addresses issues raised at the conference. ...

Private security firms go undercover in your hospital.
June 1, 2002... A Patient with a drug problem slouches in an armchair in the emergency department waiting room. He has $500 in his pocket and needs serious attention. When the nurse finally calls his name, he empties his pockets and changes into a hospital...

Patient safety group works to reduce medical errors.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... With mounting evidence that the vast majority of medical errors in this country are systems-related and not attributable to individual negligence or misconduct, the nonprofit National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has launched the first...

RNs file suit against Tenet for understaffing.(California registered nurses)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Registered nurses represented by United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals (UNAC/UHCP) filed a lawsuit against Tenet Healthcare claiming that Tenet has engaged in systematic understaffing of RNs throughout...

Assisted-living facility pays $1.5 million for hiring felon.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... A Virginia jury has found Summerville Assisted Living facility in Woodbridge negligent for not properly caring for a former patient and awarded the patient $1.5 million. The jury deliberated fewer than 90 minutes. Barbara Crowe, daughter...

Most consumers support caps on pain and suffering.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The vast majority of Americans support medical liability reform, including a cap on pain and suffering, according to a survey recently released by the Health Care Liability Alliance (HCLA). Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD, secretary-treasurer...

Malpractice at heart of new proposal.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... Newly introduced legislation by Reps. Jim Greenwood (R-PA) and Christopher Cox (R-CA) to fix the medical malpractice crisis is a major step forward in placing the interests of patients before those of personal injury lawyers, according to the...

Practice drills, careful job outlines improve emergency response: job action sheets promote accuracy.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... No matter what type of emergency faces your health care organization, how well you fare will largely depend how well your staff knows its individual roles. Careful planning, practice drills, and clear job descriptions can make the difference....

Plastic surgery procedure ends in brain damage: $5.75 million settlement.
June 1, 2002... News: A part-time exotic dancer and graphic artist underwent plastic surgery procedures as an outpatient at her physician's office. The physician's certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) overmedicated the patient, who went into...

No time for a wheelchair; an $85,000 verdict made.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... News: A 72-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital to rule out the occurrence of a stroke. After being discharged, she went unescorted to the hospital lobby where she tripped, fell, and fractured her left arm. She brought suit against the...

They don't call it bioterror for nothing: fear is the foe when anthrax spores are found within hospital walls.
June 1, 2002... Clinicians nationwide were beset with hoax powder scares last year at the height of the anthrax attacks, but at one hospital, the threat turned out to be real. Positive cultures for Bacillus anthracis were found within hospital walls, setting...

APIC: smallpox plan uses outdated infection control: designating patient facilities a mistake.(Association for Professionals in Infection Control)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has based its smallpox bioterrorism response plan on "outdated concepts," and entire sections need to be revised to reflect current epidemiologic strategies, the nation's leading group of...

Stanford sets the standard for bioterrorism planning: a separate piece: stand-alone plan advised.(Stanford University Medical Center, Palo Alto, California)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2002... It's not enough merely to update the bioterrorism component of your current disaster preparedness plan, experts say; you must create a detailed bioterrorism response plan that stands on its own. That's precisely the philosophy behind the...