Healthcare Risk Management articles from September 2003

Healthcare Risk Management archives from September 2003

Wrong-site protocol: a standard of care that can and will be used against you: safety steps from JCAHO must be implemented immediately.
September 1, 2003... The new protocol for preventing wrong-site surgery is likely to be considered the standard of care immediately and plaintiffs attorneys will use it against you in court, says a prominent trial attorney. Risk managers should act quickly to...

Visit HRM, ED Legal Letter site.
September 1, 2003... We now offer free on-line access to www.hrm newsletter.com for Hospital Risk Management subscribers. The site features current and back issues of HRM and ED Legal Letter, also from Thomson American Health Consultants. Included on the site...

Seven ways to take the danger of fire from the OR.
September 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) recently called on hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to reduce the risk of serious and deadly fires in operating rooms with its set of "7 Absolutes" to help you...

Changing flags, potholes to reporting errors, misses.
September 1, 2003... It seems everyone is saying they want staff members to report errors and near misses more freely, but actually achieving that goal can be difficult. An innovative program at The Baylor Medical Center in Grapevine, TX, says it has increased...

Crew resource management promises adverse events.
September 1, 2003... The next time you see footage of an airline crew working in the cockpit of an airliner, listen to how they interact with each other. They speak crisply and clearly to ensure information is conveyed well. Each crew member watches the other's...

Newest patient safety goals focus on infection control.
September 1, 2003... The new 2004 National Patient Safety Goals released recently by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations continue all of the 2003 goals and adds one to reduce health care-acquired infections. When the 2004 goals...

Exercise and caution work well in fight against falls.(Reader Question)
September 1, 2003... Question: As part of our falls prevention program, we're considering more exercise programs for patients at risk for falls, to help them develop stability and balance. But we've heard some concerns that the at-risk patient is better off in bed...

CE questions.
September 1, 2003... 9. According to JCAHO's Universal Protocol on wrong-site surgery, which of the following is true? A. The surgical team can conduct a time out if someone suspects a problem but it is not required. B. The time out must be conducted...

Teen's morphine toxicity leads to $400,000 settlement.
September 1, 2003... News: A 17-year-old female was admitted to a hospital to undergo a breast reduction procedure. While recovering from surgery she received an overdose of morphine, which killed her. The case against the hospital was settled prior to trial for...

Death at nursing station leads to $850K settlement.
September 1, 2003... News: A patient with stab wounds to the abdomen was taken to an emergency department (ED). He was admitted, and a series of tests were ordered. Once on the floor, his condition deteriorated rapidly. His father came to visit and found his son in...

Intensify efforts at transaction compliance, HHS says: no postponements expected as deadline nears.
September 1, 2003... As the Oct. 16 deadline for covered entities to comply with HIPAA s electronic code set and transaction provisions approaches, organizations should be intensifying their efforts toward achieving compliance, according to the Department of Health...

Is your facility using unprotected e-mails? Penalties for noncompliance could be steep.
September 1, 2003... A survey by Dallas-based ZixCorp, a global provider of e-messaging management and protection services, indicates that many leading health care organizations are transmitting e-mail messages containing federally protected health information over...

Physicians cautioned about paper claims: reject temptation to revert to paper claims.
September 1, 2003... Physician practices considering going back to paper claims as a way of coping with the Oct. 16 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) deadline for transactions and code sets should resist the temptation, according to John Thomas, CEO of...

JCAHO, NCQA certifying privacy compliance.
September 1, 2003... The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), Oakbrook Terrace, IL, and the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), in Washington, DC, have started a new Privacy Certification Program for Business...

HIPAA does not block nursing home surveys.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) says HIPAA privacy regulations don t negate requirements under the Social Security Act that the results of the most recent nursing home survey must be made available to the public. CMS says...

Privacy requirements give researchers fits.(Brief Article)
September 1, 2003... Confusion in research circles over privacy requirements under HIPAA is seen in a flap at the Johns Hopkins Medical School, which sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking whether it could request patients'...

Insurance policy to cover violations of HIPAA rules.
September 1, 2003... A San Francisco insurer is offering health care providers what it says may be a first in underwriting--a professional liability insurance policy specifically geared toward electronic-based and web-enabled transactions for health care...