Healthcare Risk Management articles from May 2004

Healthcare Risk Management archives from May 2004

Often neglected, the world of pediatric security can morph into a major risk: you need the same precautions as the labor and delivery department.
May 1, 2004... Have you made your labor and delivery unit a veritable fortress with high-tech equipment and strict policies to prevent infant abductions, while leaving the back door wide open? Children in the pediatrics unit can be just as vulnerable as...

Most abductions don't happen in mother's room.(survey and statistics)
May 1, 2004... The labor and delivery department may be where the risk of infant abductions is greatest, but it is far from the only area of the hospital needing a risk manager's attention. Children are often taken from other areas of the hospital that may...

Patient safety often is about more than errors.(ethical aspects of medical personnel)
May 1, 2004... A recent incident in which a surgeon allegedly arrived drunk for a procedure illustrates an important lesson about how broadly risk managers should educate staff about the concept of patient safety, says one expert. Does your institution's...

A nightmare situation yields valuable lessons.(medication error risks diabetic patients' life, case against medical staff)
May 1, 2004... Imagine a scenario in which a patient dies from a medication error and then things just go downhill from there. As things get worse, the only good thing is that you're bound to learn something useful from the experience. That was the...

Jury awards remain level over past three years.(survey report)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Jury awards for medical malpractice have remained level for the past three years, according to an analysis released recently by Jury Verdict Research, a company in Horsham, PA, that maintains a national database of verdicts and settlements. ...

Study: fetal monitors do not predict brain injury.(research report)
May 1, 2004... Fetal heart monitoring does not identify babies who are diagnosed with white matter brain injury after birth, according to a new study by researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. The study results were reported recently during...

Suicide prevention is important in all settings.(Reader Questions)
May 1, 2004... Question: How much do we need to worry about the liability risk of patients committing suicide, as long we're not treating them for a psychiatric problem? Can't we argue that we had no duty to detect their suicidal tendencies when treating them...

CE questions.(exercises)
May 1, 2004... Nurses participate in this continuing education program by reading the issue, using the provided references for further research, and studying the questions at the end of the issue. Participants should select what they believe to be the correct...

Latest HIMSS survey shows slow compliance; only half of respondents completed TCS testing.(Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society)(Transaction and Code Standards)
May 1, 2004... The latest survey of 631 providers, payers, companies, and clearinghouses by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) indicates that as of mid-January only half had completed testing for the Transaction and Code...

Workgroup urges patience on HIPAA compliance; entities making 'good-faith effort,' WEDI says.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)(Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange)
May 1, 2004... The Workgroup for Electronic Data Interchange (WEDI), which advises the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on issues related to administrative simplification under HIPAA, says the agency should show continued patience as covered...

Researchers: HIPAA may hurt outcomes studies; rules affect ability to follow patients post-discharge.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 )
May 1, 2004... University of Michigan (UM) researchers said at the annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology held March 7-10 in New Orleans that HIPAA has significantly affected their ability to study heart attack patients after they are...

Possible incentive for physician compliance: reduced premiums could boost compliance.
May 1, 2004... A security consulting firm that is providing security risk assessment and compliance review services for small health care related businesses says one way to increase incentives for physicians to come into compliance with HIPAA requirements...

Premature discharge of baby leads to $1.77 million Texas verdict.
May 1, 2004... News: A newborn boy exhibited extremely low blood-sugar levels and was diagnosed with intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR). Neither a CT scan nor an MRI were ordered, and the baby was discharged within 24 hours of his birth. Three days later,...