Healthcare Risk Management – May 1, 2010
May 1, 2010
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Health reform will bring more risks and compliance concerns
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPAC), recently signed into law by President Obama, will affect many areas of concern for risk managers. -
Accreditation records can be released
Risk managers expect accreditation records to be confidential, and The Joint Commission (TJC) urges providers to fully disclose information about adverse events and deficiencies as part of the quality improvement process. But some risk managers are learning that those records are not as private as often thought. -
RCA, other sensitive data kept confidential
The Joint Commission (TJC) states that this information received or developed during the accreditation process will be kept confidential: -
Document release could chill quality improvement
If providers worry that The Joint Commission (TJC) will release their accreditation records to prosecutors, they may become reluctant to share sensitive information with the accrediting body, cautions Vickie Patterson, an associate director in the Atlanta office of Protiviti, a risk consulting firm. -
Radiology risks center on communication
In radiology, the real malpractice risk begins after the technicians have performed the imaging study and the doctor has interpreted the results. It's what happens to that information from that point on that usually determines whether a lawsuit will result. -
Watch for these common radiology mistakes
Robert Russo, MD, FACR, a radiologist in Bridgeport, CT, advises risk managers to watch for these common ways in which radiology findings can fall through the cracks and never be reported. -
FDA increasing oversight of radiology
The federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Washington, DC, announced recently that it will strengthen its oversight of three of the most potent forms of medical radiation, including computed tomography (CT) scans. -
Tread carefully when reprocessing SUDs
Reprocessing of single-use devices is becoming increasingly popular among U.S. health care organizations, which are drawn to the potential cost savings and, more recently, the effort to go green by reducing waste. But do those benefits bring liability risks? -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Survey: Hospitals not up to speed on 'meaningful use'
According to a survey released in January by Falls Church, VA-based CSC, only two-thirds of hospitals have identified gaps in their current systems to meet the requirements for meaningful use, as set forth by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Will Medicaid take full advantage of HITECH?
Will funding from the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), propel state Medicaid programs forward with the use of electronic health records (EHRs)? Or will state fiscal crises or other unforeseen problems prevent the hoped-for progress? -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: HITECH Act timeline
On Feb. 17, 2009, the Health Information Technology and Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH) was enacted. On that date, tiered civil monetary penalties were put into place for violations following the enactment, and state attorneys general were given the authority to enforce the act. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Breach notification process spelled out
Although prior privacy requirements called for home health agencies to notify patients when a breach of privacy was discovered, the Health Information Technology and Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH) specifically identifies time frames and content of notifications. -
Legal Review & Commentary: Nursing Home Resident's Bedsores Lead to Death; $18 Million Jury Verdict in New York
News: A 76-year-old retired butcher and truck driver with dementia was admitted to a nursing home. During the man's stay, he suffered from dehydration and also developed several bedsores requiring hospitalization. -
Legal Review & Commentary: Delay in Shunt Leads to Hypoxia; $22M Verdict
News: At birth, a baby boy was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect preventing blood flow to his lungs. Two days later, a B-T shunt was placed, and the child was discharged a few days later.