Healthcare Risk Management – December 1, 2015
December 1, 2015
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Printing 3D Medical Devices Have Liability Angles
Hospitals are adopting 3D printing for a variety of uses without fully exploring the new dimensions of risk.
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Standard of care and reimbursement questioned with 3D printing
Soon there also can be a risk for hospitals that don’t use 3D printing, says Lisa Baird, JD, an attorney with the law firm of Reed Smith in Los Angeles. As the technology becomes more widespread, it could become the standard of care in some circumstances to create your own model or tool, she notes.
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Disclosing medical errors to children is usually the right move
The medical community has embraced the concept of disclosing medical errors to patients promptly and honestly, but there is still some question about how to handle pediatric patients. Should you tell a child that you made a mistake? If so, how?
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Do EMRs take so much time that they threaten patient safety?
Electronic medical records can be polarizing: Some people love them, some people hate them.
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Final Stark rule still leaves uncertainty
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued the final rule on the Stark law regarding kickbacks. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services clarified some points, but left questions unanswered.
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Hospital to pay $72.4 million to settle Medicare False Claims case
Tuomey Healthcare System in Sumter, SC, will pay $72.4 million to settle a $237 million judgment following the Department of Justice allegations that it illegally billed the Medicare program for services referred by physicians with whom the hospital had improper financial relationships.
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The Joint Commission cautions about temporary newborn names
If the parents have not yet decided on a baby’s name, it is common at many hospitals to give the newborn a temporary name like Babyboy Smith for use in the hospital. The Joint Commission is warning that the practice can lead to patient identification errors and should be reconsidered.
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Medication errors happen in about half of surgeries
A recent study indicates that medication errors occur in about half of all surgeries, possibly because patient safety policies and procedures are relaxed in the operating room.
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Whistleblower revealed in $70 million fraud case
Federal officials have revealed the identity of a Fort Lauderdale, FL, orthopedic surgeon who blew the whistle on a hospital system that ended up paying nearly $70 million to settle charges of healthcare fraud.
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Boston hospital pays record amount for drug diversion allegations
In the largest settlement of its kind involving allegations of drug diversion at a hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has agreed to pay the United States $2.3 million to resolve allegations that lax controls enabled MGH employees to divert controlled substances for personal use.
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Hospitals sued for excessive fees to obtain medical records
Two plaintiffs are suing two Washington, DC, hospitals for what they say are excessive and illegal charges for providing copies of their electronic medical records.
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State malpractice cap shelters healthcare facility from paying $3.5 million of $7.5 million jury award
In 2010, a woman had a section of her colon removed and believed there was a cancerous mass on the removed section. The remainder of her colon was stitched together by a surgeon at a medical center. The woman became increasingly ill over the next couple of months and received follow-up care from a physician at the same healthcare facility where the surgeon performed the original procedure.
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Failure to diagnose cervical cancer leads to $9.6 million liability for medical center
In 2011, a 61-year-old woman was informed she had stage 3 cervical cancer. She was told this news at the same medical center from which she had received her last three yearly vaginal examinations. In each of her prior three examinations, the woman complained of pain, but she was informed her Pap smears were negative for cancer.