Healthcare Risk Management articles from November 2003

Healthcare Risk Management archives from November 2003

Don't be the fall guy: investigate every accident and find ways to prevent them: respond quickly and thoroughly to falls and near misses.
November 1, 2003... You're busy with a dozen other issues when you get a phone call notifying you that a visitor, has fallen in the lobby and broken her arm. Do you chalk it up to just another fall and get back to work, or do you spring into action? The...

Floor surface, cleaning agents make a difference.
November 1, 2003... Russell Kendzior, executive director of the ational Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), offers this advice on how proper floor maintenance can reduce falls in health care facilities: * Consider the choice of floor surfaces, especially when...

Floor cleaners can increase slip-and-fall risks.
November 1, 2003... Many cleaning products leave floors more slippery than they were before cleaning, the National Floor Safety Institute (NFSI), reports. NFSI recently released results of a study that showed 10 out of 19 of the best-selling floor cleaners on...

Disclosure still could be an issue despite new options.
November 1, 2003... New reporting options from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) are a good step forward in the effort to prevent the disclosure of sensitive information through the accreditation process, says an attorney...

Spa services can bring hidden risks if not assessed.(Guest Column)
November 1, 2003... A claimant alleged that she had developed a severely infected finger that required surgical drainage and intravenous antibiotics following a manicure with dirty implements at a beauty salon located on the hospital campus. The plaintiff named...

Virtual anticoagulation clinic improves safety.
November 1, 2003... A "virtual anticoagulation clinic" is being credited with dramatic improvements in patient safety at Abington (PA) Memorial Hospital, which recently won the John M. Eisenberg Patient Safety Award from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of...

After tragedy, Duke works to improve patient safety.
November 1, 2003... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has accepted a corrective action plan from Duke University Hospital in Durham, NC, to ensure safety in the hospital's intensive care nursery (ICN). CMS directed Duke to make patient safety...

Guidelines show when an issue becomes 'grievance'.
November 1, 2003... The Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy, part of the American Health Association, has developed a document outlining when a patient issue should be categorized as a grievance under Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS)...

JCAHO revises performance areas for some surveys.
November 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) recently announced that it will revise the fixed and variable performance areas evaluated during random unannounced surveys, starting in 2004. Under the current...

Privacy regulations complicate communication with patients: balancing confidentiality and safety is a challenge.
November 1, 2003... The privacy regulations enacted as part of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) have caused some unforeseen complications for hospitals trying to ensure patient safety and improve communication between...

What to do if you're just getting started: time to prioritize your responses, expert says.
November 1, 2003... At the Seventh HIPAA Summit held in Baltimore in mid-September, "Doctor HIPAA"--former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) executive William Braithwaite--said that while Transactions and Code Sets (T&CS) testing should have started...

Privacy implementation going well, says HHS: compliance 'widespread,' says OCR director.
November 1, 2003... Department of Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights director Richard Campanelli says that many covered entities have done a good job of coming into compliance with the HIPAA privacy requirements that took effect in April, although...

CMS implements contingency plan: legacy claims accepted for undetermined period.
November 1, 2003... With surveys indicating that the required Oct. 16 compliance with transaction and code sets (T&CS) HIPAA requirements would be spotty at best, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has drawn industry support for deciding to...

Survey shines light on HIPAA compliance efforts: nonprovider compliance improves.
November 1, 2003... The summer 2003 Industry HIPAA survey conducted by HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) and Phoenix Health Systems found that "not enough time" was seen as the major roadblock to meeting the Oct. 16 implementation...

Labs seek HHS transaction guidance and relief: ACLA president testifies before Senate.
November 1, 2003... In testimony before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, the president of the American Clinical Laboratory Association (ACLA) said that although labs are committed to compliance with the transaction standards, the Department of Health...

CE questions.
November 1, 2003... 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...

Dosage mix-up leads to an overdose and $2.25 million in damages.
November 1, 2003... News: A man was admitted to a hospital after presenting to the emergency department (ED) with chest pain. After an initial cardiac catheterization revealed serious coronary disease, open-heart surgery was performed. During his recovery, an...

Temp worker's mistake costs a life and $800,000.
November 1, 2003... News: Unable to care for herself, a Parkinson's disease patient contracted for services provided in her home, including meal preparation. One day, the home health company was short-staffed and subcontracted with a temporary personnel agency to...