Healthcare Risk Management articles from March 2009

Healthcare Risk Management archives from March 2009

Downturn in economy may bring more challenges for risk managers.
March 1, 2009... Downturn in economy may bring more challenges for risk managers Expect more ED usage, lower patient compliance, reimbursement problems The current recession is hitting every sector of the economy, and health care is no exception. In...

Recession effects may be delayed, but still inevitable.
March 1, 2009... Recession effects may be delayed, but still inevitable Don't believe anyone who tells you the health care industry is "recession-proof," says Thomas E. Getzen, PhD, professor of risk, insurance, and health management at the Fox School of...

Patient compliance, test results are problematic.
March 1, 2009... Patient compliance, test results are problematic The struggling economy makes William J. Spratt, JD, a health care attorney with K&L Gates in Miami, worry about the effect on health care providers. Spratt is a former health care...

Training, high standards can reduce copter risks.
March 1, 2009... Training, high standards can reduce copter risks (Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series about the hidden risks and liabilities of medical helicopters. In last month's Healthcare Risk Management, we explored the risks and...

Wake Forest revamps after two copter crashes.
March 1, 2009... Wake Forest revamps after two copter crashes The air ambulance program at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, goes beyond the minimum requirements in an effort to make its medical helicopters as safe as they...

Kickback case holds lessons for risk managers.
March 1, 2009... Kickback case holds lessons for risk managers The recent high-profile conviction of a hospital CEO involved in kickbacks and providing unnecessary care to homeless patients shows that risk managers always must be on alert for illegal...

Settlements affect care for homeless, uninsured.
March 1, 2009... Settlements affect care for homeless, uninsured Two recent settlements could have an impact on how health providers do business. In the first case, two Illinois hospital systems have agreed to settle lawsuits alleging that they overcharged...

Joint Commission report shows gains in safety.
March 1, 2009... Joint Commission report shows gains in safety Like most risk managers, you've probably been pushing extra hard to improve safety over the last few years, and The Joint Commission says all the hard work is paying off. Hospitals have...

Legal Review & Commentary: Failure to administer calcium after thyroidectomy: $4.7 million settlement.(Case overview)
March 1, 2009... Legal Review & Commentary Failure to administer calcium after thyroidectomy: $4.7 million settlement By Radha V. Bachman, Esq. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC Tampa, FL and Ellen Barton, JD, CPCU Phoenix, MD ...

Legal Review & Commentary: Torn tendon results in $1.2 million settlement.(Case overview)
March 1, 2009... Legal Review & Commentary Torn tendon results in $1.2 million settlement News: A man sustained lacerations to his right index finger and middle finger and was immediately taken to the emergency department (ED) of a local hospital,...

CE Objectives/Questions.
March 1, 2009... CE Objectives After reading this issue of Healthcare Risk Management, the CE participant should be able to: • Describe legal, clinical, financial, and managerial issues pertinent to risk management in health care. •...