Healthcare Risk Management articles from November 2004

Healthcare Risk Management archives from November 2004

Can't we all get along? Here are ways to work with police without violating HIPAA: risk managers have to say no sometimes, but diplomacy is key.
November 1, 2004... It's 3 a.m., and you get a call from the emergency department. The staff is in a heated dispute with a local police officer who's demanding information about a patient who assaulted another while waiting to be transferred to inpatient care. ...

Liability begins as patients bring their own equipment.
November 1, 2004... It's probably not uncommon for patients to arrive at your facility with their own health care equipment, such as a home dialysis unit or insulin pump, not to mention personal items such as curling irons, computers, and hair dryers. Do you...

Words from the other side: lawyers, slips, and falls.
November 1, 2004... You've probably got a defense attorney or two giving you advice on how to avoid liability in slip-and-fall cases, but wouldn't it be great to hear from the other side? Imagine if a plaintiff's attorney explained, "Here's how to win when my...

EMTALA fears come true with too few on-call docs.
November 1, 2004... When EMTALA was finalized last year, risk managers worried that changes in the rule might mean they would find it impossible to schedule enough specialists on call to meet EMTALA needs. That nightmare is coming true. Two-thirds of emergency...

JCAHO and CMS to work jointly on quality measures.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... JCAHO and CMS recently announced the signing of an agreement to work together in completely aligning current and future common Hospital Quality Measures in their condition-specific performance measure sets. The current Hospital Quality...

As complexity of JCAHO surveys rise, so do fees.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... It's going to cost you more for an experience you'd rather avoid altogether. JCAHO recently announced overall 2005 survey fee increases across all of the organization's accreditation programs. A special $3,500 fee for hospitals with more...

Premature discharge leads to $4 million settlement.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A North Carolina hospital will pay $4 million to avoid a malpractice trial on allegations that a baby suffered cerebral palsy and other neurological problems stemming from kernicterus, or severe jaundice. Durham County Hospital Corp....

Terrorism insurance could be a good choice.(Reader Question)
November 1, 2004... Question: Should we invest in terrorism insurance for our facility? I hear that it's growing in popularity, but should our hospital be considered a likely target? Answer: Terrorism insurance is a realistic option for health care facilities...

CE Questions.
November 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...

Newborn loses finger after being burned by a plastic diaper: $1.35 million Texas settlement.
November 1, 2004... News: Following its birth, a newborn was taken to the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While attempting to take the infant's blood gases, the unit nurse used a plastic diaper that had been dipped in very hot water to warm the...

Patient falls and dies in TX, and $356,000 is awarded.
November 1, 2004... News: After having been diagnosed with a broken hip, a 90-year-old nursing home resident was discharged from the hospital. Three days later, a nurse's aide at the nursing home attempted to move the patient from her wheelchair to her bed by...

Prepare your facility for natural disasters.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... From hurricanes and tornadoes to wildfires and floods, natural disasters can strike at any time, anywhere. Does your facility have a disaster plan? How realistic is it? And do you know where to go for help if you need it? To make sure your...

Incomes are up but still room to improve career path: pursue higher degrees, seek bigger role in team.
November 1, 2004... Salary levels are up for risk managers this year but may be leveling off, according to the results of this year's Healthcare Risk Management Salary Survey. (Editor's note: Some graphs do not add up to 100% because some participants did not...

How to implement HIPAA without breaking the bank: lessons learned from one health care organization.
November 1, 2004... Thinking creatively, but not expensively, is the key to meeting HIPAA requirements with a limited budget, according to Maria Woods, vice president for compliance and regulatory affairs at Saint Vincent Catholic Medical Centers (SVCMC) of New...

Medicare to make greater use of the Internet: data on non-HIPAA-compliant claims captured.
November 1, 2004... Medicare continues to work closely with contractors, providers, billing agents, clearinghouses, and software vendors to achieve HIPAA goals and will be making greater use of the Internet and working on implementation of electronic attachments...

HIPAA enforcement aimed at achieving compliance: most complaints about claims payment.
November 1, 2004... Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Office of HIPAA Standards staffer Dianne Faup says the agency has received more than 200 transaction/code set complaints, with some 58 still open at the time of her September presentation to the...

Security rule guidance issued to covered entities.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Entities covered under the HIPAA security rule rare not required to certify compliance with provisions of the rule, according to guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The security rule does, however, require covered...

Journalists complain about HIPAA privacy restrictions.
November 1, 2004... The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) says all journalists, and particularly those working for electronic media, have been hampered in their work by actual HIPAA privacy requirements and by interpretations of those...

Guilty plea in first HIPAA privacy case.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A SeaTac, WA, man pleaded guilty in federal court to wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information for economic gain. The guilty plea entered by Richard Gibson, 42, was the first criminal conviction under the HIPAA privacy...

Civil money penalties rule extended.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Department of Health and Human Services extended for one year the Sept. 16, 2004, expiration date for an interim final rule establishing procedures for imposition of civil money penalties on entities that violate HIPAA administrative...