Healthcare Risk Management – June 1, 2007
June 1, 2007
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Hospital changes ID requirements after fake staffer works in the E
A Florida hospital has significantly strengthened its policies requiring proper identification for all staff in response a recent incident in which a woman was able to impersonate to an emergency department staff member. -
Liability mitigated when incident hard to predict
It appears no one was harmed by the bogus emergency department (ED) staffer at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, FL, which means there may be no resulting lawsuit. -
Find out: Are your ED staff parking patients with EMS?
"Parking" patients with emergency medical services (EMS) crews still can happen even when the risk manager knows it is wrong and has taken an official stance against it, experts warn. -
CMS pushes for more in informed consent process
An interpretive guideline that calls for a more thorough informed consent process, whether the patient wants to hear the details or not, is causing consternation for physicians and risk managers across the country. -
Study looks at errors in labeling specimens
Risk managers know that communication errors often are a root cause of sentinel events in surgery, and a new study is reporting that specimen labeling is a common error that can threaten patient safety. -
Most drug side effects not due to error, study says
The vast majority of adverse drug events are side effects from a drug that was prescribed as intended, rather than being the result of a drug administration error, according to recent research. -
Court decides if EMTALA should apply to inpatients
A 2003 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regulation that interpreted the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) does not apply to inpatients does not have the "force and effect of law," according to a recent decision by a U.S. District Court in Puerto Rico. -
Spotlight is on awareness while under anesthesia
With National Public Radio, Oprah, and other media outlets covering patient awareness during anesthesia, many providers report an increasing number of questions about the issue from their patients. -
Legal Review and Commentary: Hospital's delay in scheduling heart surgery due to inability to pay leads to $1.2 million verdict
An uninsured man presented to the hospital complaining of chest pain. Doctors determined that he required heart-valve replacement surgery, but they discharged the patient until he could receive treatment for other conditions that could have complicated the heart surgery if left untreated. -
Legal Review and Commentary: Woman's death leads to $602,800 verdict
A woman who required a feeding tube went to the hospital for a colonoscopy. Because of complications experienced during the procedure, doctors inserted a central line for intravenous fluid access.