Articles Tagged With:
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Supreme Court Upholds Healthcare Vaccine Mandate
Hospitals still struggling to fully vaccinate workers received good news on Jan. 13 when the Supreme Court ruled the federal government can enforce its mandate that healthcare workers receive COVID-19 vaccine unless granted medical or religious exemptions. But the court effectively nullified the federal mandate that employers with at least 100 workers mandate COVID-19 vaccination or weekly testing.
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Unvaccinated Patients Dying from ‘Less Severe’ Omicron
The emerging narrative of the omicron variant of COVID-19 being less severe — and possibly signaling a transition to an endemic phase of the pandemic — is of little solace to patients dying of the virus daily.
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Neurology Groups Update Position on Stroke and Informed Consent
Experts provide updated ethical guidance on decision-making capacity, emergency treatment, and clinical research.
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Appellate Court Reinstates Claims of Negligent Treatment Causing Permanent Disability
A three-judge appeals panel in Illinois reinstated claims by a patient with multiple sclerosis for her neurologist’s negligence in treating her disorder. The treatment caused the patient’s permanent disability. The trial court originally rejected the patient’s amended complaint. -
Use of Defective Laser Leads to $9.7 Million Verdict Against Hospital
This case shows the importance of informed consent in medical negligence cases and defines how strictly a court upholds the standard of care when informing a patient of the asserted risks of a procedure outside the scope of a doctor’s expertise. -
Stay Vigilant About Malpractice Risks with Telemedicine
The dramatic increase in the use of telemedicine is raising concerns about the potential for malpractice issues related to this form of caregiving, with some experts cautioning a wave of lawsuits could be on the way. Adherence to key principles of patient safety and risk management can reduce the risk. -
Protect Peer Review Privileges, or Risk Serious Consequences
A hospital’s peer review protection often prevents attorneys from potentially using damaging information in court, but that protection can be forfeited. To protect patient safety investigations, the most important thing is to follow the applicable federal or state peer review statute as strictly as possible. -
Healthy Weight Week 2022: A Time to Shape Up
Observed during the third week of January every year since 1994, Healthy Weight Week is a time for Americans to focus on creating proper nutritional habits that can produce long-term benefits.
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TJC, OSHA Expect Hospitals to Address Violence
The Joint Commission recently updated its standards for preventing and addressing violence in the healthcare workplace. OSHA's General Duty Clause requires employers to provide their employees with a place of employment that is “free from recognized hazards that are causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.” -
Workplace Violence on the Rise; COVID-19 Partly to Blame
Always a challenging problem, workplace violence in healthcare settings has worsened recently as the many stresses of the pandemic push staff, managers, patients, and family members to the breaking point. Risk managers should review their workplace violence policies to ensure they clearly define workplace violence to include bullying, intimidation, and harassment.