Healthcare Risk Management – November 1, 2015
November 1, 2015
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Crack down on OR antics as public, plaintiffs’ bar learn of poor behavior
Imagine walking through a unit and seeing doctors and staff openly insulting patients, laughing at racist and misogynist remarks, and even making inappropriate sexual contact.
Doctor reveals dirty secret about how operating room patients are treated
An essay in the Annals of Internal Medicine received the attention of not just the medical community, but also the general public, when it revealed how anesthetized patients are sometimes treated with disrespect and even subject to what could be considered assault.
Heads roll after OR team members invite others to laugh at patient
An incident involving an out-of-control OR team illustrates how undignified and abusive behavior can occur even at facilities with high standards.
Treat diagnosis errors as systemic, not individual human mistakes
Diagnostic errors are underappreciated and will require a collaborative approach to reduce them, according to a recent report from the Institute of Medicine.
IOM cites 8 goals for reducing diagnosis errors
The Institute of Medicine’s Improving Diagnosis in Health Care report outlines the following eight goals for reducing diagnosis errors.
EHR gag clauses could hamper evaluation and patient safety at healthcare facilities
There is a likelihood that the contract for the EHR used at your hospital or health system includes a gag clause that prohibits talking to others about any dissatisfaction with the product. There are concerns that the gag clauses interfere with proper assessment of EHRs, which could in turn threaten patient safety.
Health system is thought to be first to provide universal suicide screenings
In what appears to be a first for a health system, Parkland Health & Hospital System in Dallas recently implemented suicide screenings for all patients.
Hospital cited for exposing staff to patient violence
Federal officials recently cited Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus, NJ, for failing to protect employees from violent patients.
Adventist to pay $115M to settle fraud claims
Adventist Health System, based in Altamonte Springs, FL, has agreed to pay the United States $115 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by maintaining improper compensation arrangements with referring physicians and by miscoding claims, the Justice Department announced recently.
NIST guide aims to make EHRs safer
The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released a new guide that addresses a common concern with electronic health records: If they’re not user- friendly, the potential benefits might never be recognized, and they could even threaten patient safety.
Hospital loses $21.5 million claim against veteran suffering from locked-in syndrome
News: In October 2010, a Navy veteran went to a veterans hospital complaining of a headache and loss of peripheral vision.
Hospital is held liable for nearly $2.8 million for misplaced tracheostomy
News: A 49-year-old woman was brought to the hospital after a car crash. She was unconscious and had internal bleeding with a lacerated liver. The hospital staff performed an endotracheal intubation and then successfully operated on the woman’s liver.