Healthcare Risk Management articles from September 2008

Healthcare Risk Management archives from September 2008

Waiting room death brings scrutiny of staff training, attitude.
September 1, 2008... Waiting room death brings scrutiny of staff training, attitude Seven hospital employees fired or suspended for failing to respond A New York hospital is facing a $25 million lawsuit and reeling from devastating media coverage after...

New law addresses how homeless are discharged.
September 1, 2008... New law addresses how homeless are discharged In response to several high-profile incidents of homeless patients being discharged in a less-than-dignified manner, the city of Los Angeles has enacted a new law that requires obtaining written...

Hospitals use RRTs to cut peds codes.
September 1, 2008... Hospitals use RRTs to cut peds codes A protocol built around the use of rapid response teams (RRTs) has reduced incidences of preventable codes among pediatric patients by 20% at a group of hospitals in Ohio, one of the best demonstrations...

Data show many codes outside ICU.(Intensive care units)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Data show many codes outside ICU The Ohio Children's Hospital Association (OCHA) and its six member hospitals studied where pediatric codes occur and found that many occur outside the neonatal and intensive care units. To improve safety,...

Baby's case shows how RRT works.(rapid response team)(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Baby's case shows how RRT works This example of the rapid response teams (RRTs) at Ohio Children's Hospital Association (OCHA) comes from David Kinsaul, FACHE, president and CEO of Dayton Children's Medical Center and chairman of OCHA: ...

Don't rely too much on triggers for RRTs.(rapid response team)(rapid response team )(Brief article)
September 1, 2008... Don't rely too much on triggers for RRTs Terry Davis, MD, interim medical director at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, OH, says the hospital had to clarify some initial misunderstandings about when to call its rapid response...

Unlabeled syringes are common safety threat.
September 1, 2008... Unlabeled syringes are common safety threat Injectable medications pose one of the highest risks for medication errors, and the risk often is related to identifying the proper drug and dosage in the syringe before administering it....

Good policies help improve labeling.
September 1, 2008... Good policies help improve labeling Douglas Dotan, MA, CQIA, president of CRG Medical in Houston, which offers patient safety quality management solutions to health care providers, suggests risk managers consider those policies and...

Guest Column: Genetic law creates new protected class.(Column)
September 1, 2008... Genetic law creates new protected class By Leila Narvid, JD, Payne & Fears LLP, San Francisco Risk managers have a new concern that will require a close review of human resources policies and procedures in order to avoid the improper...

Health records exposed by security breach.
September 1, 2008... Health records exposed by security breach A security breach involving the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, and other military hospitals exposed sensitive information on about 1,000 patients, according to a statement...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: AAHC: HIPAA deterring biomedical research.(Association of Academic Health Centers )(health insurance portability and accountability act)(Editorial)
September 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert AAHC: HIPAA deterring biomedical research Administrative burden, ambiguity also problems Research vice presidents for academic health centers agree -- HIPAA has serious and often detrimental effects on...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: House health IT bill seeks to protect health information.
September 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert House health IT bill seeks to protect health information A House subcommittee approved and sent on to the full Energy and Commerce Committee H.R. 6357, the "Protecting Records, Optimizing Treatment, and Easing...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: National Provider Identifier finally takes effect.
September 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert National Provider Identifier finally takes effect Mandatory use of the National Provider Identifier (NPI), which had been delayed from 2007, took effect May 23. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services officials...

HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Surveys say: HIPAA affects health care IT decisions.
September 1, 2008... HIPAA Regulatory Alert Surveys say: HIPAA affects health care IT decisions Some 91% of health care IT decision makers and executives say that HIPAA regulations influence or strongly influence their IT purchasing decisions, according to...

Legal Review & Commentary: Failure to diagnose brain abscess brings $3 million verdict in Pennsylvania.
September 1, 2008... Legal Review & Commentary Failure to diagnose brain abscess brings $3 million verdict in Pennsylvania By Jon T. Gatto, Esq., and Blake J. Delaney, Esq., Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Tampa, FL News: A woman suffering from...

Legal Review & Commentary: Aneurysm overlooked: $2.1 million verdict.
September 1, 2008... Legal Review & Commentary Aneurysm overlooked: $2.1 million verdict News: A man went to the hospital after experiencing severe headaches. A physician's assistant (PA) diagnosed the man as suffering from a spinal headache, and a blood...

CE Objectives/Questions.
September 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...