Healthcare Risk Management articles from November 2008

Healthcare Risk Management archives from November 2008

Hospital agrees to pay $89 million in False Claims Act settlement.
November 1, 2008... Hospital agrees to pay $89 million in False Claims Act settlement Large payout holds lessons for risk managers A False Claims Act (FCA) settlement totaling $89 million is ringing alarm bells in health care institutions across the...

Widow, doctor blew whistle on SIUH.
November 1, 2008... Widow, doctor blew whistle on SIUH The $89 million settlement by Staten Island University Hospital (SIUH) was prompted when two people u one the widow of a cancer patient and the other a doctor who saw improper billing u sounded the alarm...

Disruptive doctors must know they can get help.
November 1, 2008... Disruptive doctors must know they can get help (Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on disruptive physicians. The October 2008 issue of Healthcare Risk Management discussed how this behavior can threaten patient safety...

Manage time with tips that some swear by.
November 1, 2008... Manage time with tips that some swear by (Editor's note: This is the second of a two-part series on time management for risk managers. Last month's Healthcare Risk Management looked at the need for good time management strategies. This...

Safety team cuts birth trauma rates 93%.
November 1, 2008... Safety team cuts birth trauma rates 93% Any risk manager with hopes of reducing birth trauma rates should look to The Seton Family of Hospitals, based in Austin, TX, for lessons in what can yield dramatic results. The system, which includes...

'Never events' tied to one of six med-mal claims.
November 1, 2008... 'Never events' tied to one of six med-mal claims Four recognized categories of hospital-acquired conditions, "never events" that have received more attention in recent years, make up 12.2% of total medical professional liability costs,...

Legal Review & Commentary: Mishandling of fatal lung infection leads to $1.29M settlement in New York.
November 1, 2008... Legal Review & Commentary Mishandling of fatal lung infection leads to $1.29M settlement in New York By Jon T. Gatto, Esq. Blake J. Delaney, Esq. Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC Tampa, FL News: A woman presented to...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Threat modeling to protect patient information.(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of )
November 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Threat modeling to protect patient information You can't afford not to A health care organization might have in place the best information technology (IT) protections available, but complacency can be a...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: HHS fines health system for breach of privacy.
November 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert HHS fines health system for breach of privacy On July 15, 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) entered into an agreement with Seattle-based Providence Health & Services to settle potential...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: HHS guidance emphasizes what can be divulged.
November 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert HHS guidance emphasizes what can be divulged The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has issued new guidance for providers on talking about patients' health information with and in the presence of...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Privacy hindered by not-so-private hospital rooms.
November 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Privacy hindered by not-so-private hospital rooms Despite increasing demand for privacy surrounding health information, North American hospitals lag behind European counterparts when it comes to one of the most...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: HHS lacking in approach to health info privacy.
November 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert HHS lacking in approach to health info privacy The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may have given rise to u and oversees u HIPAA privacy regulations, but according to a report by the General...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: New rule would update rules for etransmissions.
November 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert New rule would update rules for etransmissions On Aug. 22, 2008, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a proposed rule that would adopt updated versions of the standards for electronic...

CE Objectives/Questions.
November 1, 2008... 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...