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The parents of a newborn baby retained a home health agency to provide in-home child care. The agency failed to follow its screening procedures when selecting the nurses aide and overlooked her history of drug abuse and theft. This case presents a classic illustration of why it is absolutely imperative that an organization follow the rules, especially when it was the organization itself that wrote the rules, states Ellen Barton, JD, CPCU, a risk management consultant in Phoenix, MD.
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Several perennial worries of risk managers are under consideration by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations as new National Patient Safety Goals for 2005, and experts in two of the hottest topics harm from patient falls and the risk of surgical fires say you should assess your efforts in these areas now.
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Here are the proposed 2005 National Patient Safety Goals for hospitals. The goals differ somewhat from one health care setting to another.
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Expectations are key to having a good working relationship with legal counsel, says Pamela L. Popp, MA, JD, FASHRM, CPHRM, vice president for health care practice with McQueary Henry in Dallas, which provides insurance products and risk management services.
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Continuing the effort to eliminate what it calls an entirely preventable class of error, the Joint Commission has updated its frequently asked questions on how to avoid performing a procedure on the wrong body part, wrong person, or the wrong procedure on the right patient.
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This case highlights a breakdown in procedure in caring for a woman injured in an automobile accident.
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Experts have repeatedly warned Americas hospices that they need to elevate quality as a priority at both the organizational and the industrywide levels. Hospices must find ways to quantify, measure, compare, and improve the quality of care they provide to terminally ill patients.
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In an effort to better standardize and improve the quality of palliative care services available nationwide, a consensus group has released new clinical guidelines detailing what services a palliative care program should provide and listing places where providers can go for more information and support.
