Healthcare Risk Management – February 1, 2007
February 1, 2007
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Covert video surveillance can be useful in abuse cases, but some reason for caution
Risk managers should consider using covert video surveillance (CVS) when patient abuse is suspected and not be deterred by worries about invasion of privacy or liability. -
What you need to know about liability and video
Risk managers are understandably cautious about utilizing covert video surveillance (CVS). -
Case study shows how video helps avoid lawsuit
This case study involving covert video surveillance (CVS) is provided by Andrew R. Rogoff, JD, a partner in the Philadelphia office of the law firm Pepper Hamilton, and DaQuana L. Carter, JD, an associate with the firm. -
Critical lab result policy cuts hospital's med errors
A system that requires calling physicians directly with critical lab test results can greatly improve patient safety, according to a hospital team that has had such a policy in place for years. -
How the critical result reporting system works
At Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA, critical lab test results are defined as test results with abnormal or "critical" values, resulting in a potentially life threatening situation for the patient, explains Gregory Gauvin, MD, chair of pathology at Mount Auburn. -
With lab result success, other departments follow
Once the lab at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA, met its goal of communicating first-time critical results to the physician in less than 60 minutes, 100% of the time, the next step was to take the policy to other departments. -
Look for rapport, access when choosing counsel
Risk managers spend a lot of time working with outside counsel, so choosing the right attorneys to handle your organization's legal matters can have a major impact on your department's success. But how do you go about choosing the right counsel? -
Patients' idea of med errors affects satisfaction
All of the emphasis on reducing medical errors has not escaped your patients' attention, and they may be defining the term so broadly that they will never be satisfied with your care, according to the results of a recent study from the Joint Commission. -
Safety progress called 'abysmal' by Leapfrog
Progress toward meeting key patient safety goals is "abysmal" at most hospitals, according to The Leapfrog Group, a patient safety advocacy organization in Washington, DC. -
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Legal Review and Commentary: Improper use of forceps results in large federal tort verdict
During a delivery, a contract OB/GYN improperly used forceps. The infant's skull was crushed in the process, which left the child severely brain damaged. -
Legal Review and Commentary: $340,000 verdict follows Alzheimer's patient's case
An elderly man suffering from Alzheimer's disease was taken to the hospital for treatment of cough and body aches. When hospital staff completed their treatment of the patient and cleared him for discharge, the man learned that his ride home had left the facility. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Realities of disclosure: When docs violate patient privacy
While patients assume their doctors will work to maintain trust and privacy in their relationships with patients, research has shown that health care providers often disclose personal information to patients' family members. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Few privacy complaints are investigated further
The Department of Health and Human Services found that less than 25% of the total medical privacy complaints lodged with the agency merited further federal investigation of the health care organizations involved, according to an analysis of HHS' Office of Civil Rights (OCR) statistics by Melamedia LLC President Dennis Melamed. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Wellness program final rule issued for employers
The federal Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury have issued final rules to guide employers in complying with HIPAA nondiscrimination provisions and implementation of wellness programs.