Healthcare Risk Management articles from March 2002

Healthcare Risk Management archives from March 2002

Sky high and rising: Limits sought for malpractice in Pennsylvania: reform could spread to other states.
March 1, 2002... In response to a malpractice insurance crisis in the state, the Pennsylvania House recently passed legislation that limits the strategies available to patients suing for medical malpractice and lowers insurance expenses. Health care providers...

Missed diagnosis leads to $22.5 million IL judgment.(Illinois)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... A Chicago hospital is reeling from a jury's order to pay a patient $22.5 million for missing a diagnosis of compartment syndrome and ultimately costing the man both of his legs. A 12-person jury in Cook County, IL, recently awarded...

Leapfrog Group has a new partner on road to safety.(Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations )
March 1, 2002... The Leapfrog Group is moving forward with its efforts to improve patient safety with the results of its first major survey suggesting that providers have a long way to go in reaching some of the standards set by the group, particularly the...

It's a raid? What to do when the feds are at your door. (Guest Column).
March 1, 2002... The voice on the phone is trembling. It's an office manager in your health care organization telling you that the FBI and agents from the Office of the Inspector General have just left her office after executing a search warrant. And they...

Errors in New England strike two hospitals.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Two recent mistakes at hospitals in Rhode Island and Connecticut remind providers that egregious mistakes can happen to any health care provider if you let your guard down and don't follow recommended procedures. In the Rhode Island instance, a...

There's no need to miss an AHC audio conference.(American Health Consultants)
March 1, 2002... Have you missed one of American Health Consultants' (AHC) recent audio conferences? If so, two upcoming conference replays offer another opportunity to take advantage of excellent continuing education opportunities for your entire facility. ...

Utah hospitals' Olympic preps can be terror primer.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The extensive preparations by the hospitals in Salt Lake City for the 2002 Winter Olympics could be helpful to any other facility trying to beef up its disaster-readiness plans, say some of the health care leaders responsible for the massive...

Court: $1B Medicare fraud lawsuit to proceed in MN.(Minnesota)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... The U.S. Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed a lower court ruling and ordered a $1 billion Medicare fraud lawsuit to proceed against dozens of Minnesota health care providers. Lisa Citak, president of the Minnesota Association of...

Nursing home operators cited for back injuries.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Beverly Enterprises Inc., one of the nation's largest nursing home operators, will adopt specific measures to reduce back injuries for employees involved in lifting nursing home residents, as part of a settlement agreement announced by the...

Blue Cross goes after doctors' bad handwriting.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Seeking to reduce the number of prescription errors caused by illegible handwriting, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI), Rhode Island Primary Care Physicians Corporation, ePhysician, and PharmaCare have begun an electronic...

Teleconferences are tops for bioterrorism training.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2002... Teleconferences are an effective way to reach geographically diverse groups and train large numbers of clinicians on bioterrorism preparedness, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Furthermore,...

Death from negligent intubation during tonsillectomy: $440,000 in settlements reached.
March 1, 2002... News: To alleviate her chronic sore throats and difficulties with breathing and sleeping, a 44-year-old patient was admitted for a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. The attending physician's failure to communicate with the other health care...

Improper intubation: $1.5 million FL verdict.(Florida)
March 1, 2002... News: After being burned on the job, a teen-ager was immediately transported to a small nearby hospital. The patient was to have been transferred to a specialized burn unit but, prior to being air transported, he was improperly intubated by the...

Anthrax aftermath: adverse drug reactions, vaccine controversy undercut CDC extended treatment offer.(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
March 1, 2002... Some 8,000 people say thanks but no thanks Despite the lingering possibility of late-onset anthrax infection, more than 8,000 people potentially exposed in the bioterrorism attacks of 2001 have turned down offers of additional antibiotics...