Healthcare Risk Management articles from May 2006

Healthcare Risk Management archives from May 2006

Rising number of obese patients pose special liability risks.
May 1, 2006... Rising number of obese patients pose special liability risks You can't use excuse that extra large patients are a rarity (Editor's note: This is part one of a two-part series on the liability risks associated with treating morbidly...

Obese patients covered under EMTALA, ADA.
May 1, 2006... Obese patients covered under EMTALA, ADA Hospitals and physician offices must accommodate obese patients or risk running afoul of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or the...

Tips for working with large patients.
May 1, 2006... Tips for working with large patients The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) in Chicago recommends that risk managers assess their organization's readiness for treating obese patients. In addition to equipment needs and...

Follow guidelines closely to avoid gainsharing trouble.(Editorial)
May 1, 2006... Follow guidelines closely to avoid gainsharing trouble (Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on the risks of gainsharing agreements and how to structure them safely. Last month's report discussed the potential danger, and...

Guidelines from OIG help make gainsharing safe.
May 1, 2006... Guidelines from OIG help make gainsharing safe Barron Bogatto, JD, a partner in the health care and business transactions sections of Jackson Walker, a law firm in Houston, provides this summary of the gainsharing guidelines offered by the...

Pre-op safety briefings help reduce errors, improve care.
May 1, 2006... Pre-op safety briefings help reduce errors, improve care Health care giant Kaiser Permanente is introducing the idea of a "preoperative safety briefing" to all of its facilities with the aim of encouraging more communication among surgical...

Safety briefing held before any incision is made.
May 1, 2006... Safety briefing held before any incision is made The preoperative safety briefing in use at Kaiser Permanente hospitals always is held before any incision is made, but other than that direction, Kaiser leaves it up to individual hospitals...

Fingerprint scanners help improve record security.
May 1, 2006... Fingerprint scanners help improve record security The emergency department can be an especially difficult place to balance the need for security of patient records with easy access for physicians and staff, but one hospital in Chesterfield,...

Insurer drops rates after Texas adopts tort reform.
May 1, 2006... Insurer drops rates after Texas adopts tort reform The Doctors Company, a medical malpractice insurer based in Napa, CA, reported recently that premiums for new and renewing policyholders in Texas would drop by an average of 18%, a direct...

Legal Review and Commentary: Ineffective, delayed treatment of sepsis leads to double amputations and $3.6 million settlement.
May 1, 2006... Ineffective, delayed treatment of sepsis leads to double amputations and $3.6 million settlement By Blake J. Delaney, Esq. Buchanan Ingersoll, Tampa, FL News: A baby boy in extreme pain was taken by his mother to the doctor, who...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Administrative simplification enforcement rule in effect.
May 1, 2006... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Administrative simplification enforcement rule in effect Rule reinforces HHS approach to enforcement, experts say The Department of Health and Human Services published the final enforcement rule for all HIPAA...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Survey suggests shift toward long-term benefit.
May 1, 2006... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Survey suggests shift toward long-term benefit 55% of providers compliant with security standards The latest U.S. Healthcare Industry HIPAA Survey sponsored by the Healthcare Information and Management...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Info-Tech Research Group says HIPAA is 'ineffective'.
May 1, 2006... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Info-Tech Research Group says HIPAA is 'ineffective' With only one enforcement criminal conviction recorded since 1996, HIPAA is failing to meet its mandate, according to Info-Tech Research Group. "HIPAA is a...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: MGMA concerned about e-claims standards.
May 1, 2006... HIPAA Regulatory Alert MGMA concerned about e-claims standards Group urges incentives for providers The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has raised concerns about electronic claims attachments with federal officials. ...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Ohio court puts state open records law over HIPAA.
May 1, 2006... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Ohio court puts state open records law over HIPAA The Ohio Supreme Court says the state's open records law takes precedence over HIPAA privacy requirements. The court ruled in a case brought two years ago by the...

CE Objectives/Questions.
May 1, 2006... 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. * Explain how...