Healthcare Risk Management – February 1, 2004
February 1, 2004
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Wrong-site surgery: Officials now recommending zero tolerance
Voicing ever stronger concerns that the health care community still is not doing enough to prevent wrong-site surgery, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations recently called on all providers to adopt a no-nonsense, zero-tolerance policy toward that grave error. -
Surgeon or nurse should mark the operative site
At a recent press conference concerning the Universal Protocol to prevent wrong-site surgery, proponents answered some of the most frequent questions about how to follow the protocol. -
Kaiser hospital vows to enforce Universal Protocol
A San Francisco hospital is taking the Universal Protocol so seriously that it has threatened to suspend entire operative teams the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses, and anyone else in the room if the procedures to prevent wrong-site surgery are not followed. -
Case of the killer nurse reveals new-hire obstacles
A nurse who admitted to authorities that he killed 30-40 severely ill patients is putting the spotlight on the difficulty of investigating the backgrounds of those applying for patient care positions in health care, says the CEO of the hospital where many of the deaths are thought to have occurred. -
In-house education: It may have a big payoff
Educating physicians about risk management issues can be difficult and time-consuming, so its tempting to let your insurer send in a speaker once in a while and leave it at that. But the risk manager at a Texas hospital says youll get better results by developing your own in-house education program for physicians. -
Enterprise liability: These tips can help spot trouble
Enterprise liability is a legal concept that some advocates say can help health care organizations achieve patient safety, but it could represent another reason for risk managers to worry. -
Reader Question: It’s no EMTALA violation to get insurance info first
Can we collect insurance information after triage in the emergency department but before the medical screening examination? We hear conflicting explanations about whether this violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. -
FDA warns of fire danger from electric hospital beds
In a special Dear Colleague letter aimed at risk managers and other hospital leaders, the Food and Drug Administration warns that some electrically powered hospital beds may pose a risk of fire. -
Doctor in pain case must attend education courses
The Medical Board of California has issued a severe reprimand to a physician accused of providing inadequate pain relief to a dying man, requiring him to attend advanced training to improve his performance. -
Legal Review & Commentary: Hospital, couple disagree on embryos’ storage: Confidential settlement reached
A university hospital harvested and stored 28 embryos for a couple who had been unsuccessful in conceiving a child. Ten years later, the hospital disposed of the embryos, believing that the failure on the part of the couple to respond to notices that the hospital was going to take such action indicated their concurrence to have the embryos destroyed. When the couple later sought to have the embryos implanted, they were no longer available, and they sued the providers. -
Legal Review & Commentary: A baby’s death and a $5 million settlement
A woman in labor told an attending nurse that she thought the hospital and the obstetrician were not attending to her in a timely manner. The labor and delivery nurse contacted her obstetrician, but he failed to appropriately respond. The nurse should have contacted her supervisors about the womans concerns and the physicians failure to take action, but didnt. The fetus suffered severe brain damage because of a delay in delivery and subsequently died 11 months later. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Privacy expert urges clarification for privacy regs
Health Privacy Project executive director Janlori Goldman said that while many glitches and misinterpretations of the HIPAA privacy regulation have been resolved, others remain and should be addressed by the Department of Health and Human Services or Congress. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: The HIPAA privacy rule - Sorting myths from facts
In testimony late last year before the Department of Health and Human Services National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Subcommittee on Privacy and Confidentiality, Health Privacy Project executive director Janlori Goldman submitted 13 common myths that persist about the HIPAA privacy regulation and the facts that respond to those myths. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Hospitals having problems with privacy reg, AHA says
American Hospital Association attorney Lawrence Hughes said there are aspects of the privacy rule that still are not working well and are creating unnecessary burdens for hospitals, with little benefit to patients. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Survey shows physicians not ready for HIPAA
Rhode Islands Seacrest DocSecurity surveyed more than 500 physicians nationwide late in 2003, questioning them on requirements that insurance companies ask for before underwriting physicians and hospitals for insurance, and concluded that while physicians generally believe they are HIPAA-compliant, in fact they have only met a portion of the HIPAA requirements, leaving them vulnerable to lawsuits. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: HIPAA Q&A
Does the security rule specify how a risk analysis must be conducted?; How should passwords be chosen to ensure security?; Can a home health agency post thank-you letters from patients on a bulletin board that can be seen by staff and other patients?