Healthcare Risk Management – February 1, 2017
February 1, 2017
View Issues
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Legal Marijuana Requires Reassessing Hospital Drug Policies
Changing state laws regarding marijuana are forcing healthcare providers to reconsider their policies on drug use by employees. Risk managers should review their policies in light of labor laws and patient safety.
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Cardholders May Be Protected
"Cardholders” — those who are legally allowed to use medical marijuana — should be handled carefully in states that specifically prohibit discrimination against them.
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Most Employers Ban Marijuana Entirely
When they have any choice at all, most employers opt to prohibit the use of marijuana no matter their state law.
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Hospital Wins Lawsuit After Rape of Mental Health Patient
A hospital prevailed recently in a lawsuit alleging malpractice related to one patient raping another, and legal analysts attribute the verdict to the hospital successfully arguing that it should be tried as a malpractice case rather than a simple civil lawsuit alleging negligence.
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Reducing Diagnostic Errors Requires Multiple Approaches
Reducing diagnostic errors requires a combination of strategies that address the reason most of these errors occur and the application of the latest data analytics.
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Patient Safety Improved with Centralized Hospital Command
Optimizing patient safety often means knowing what is going on throughout the hospital and responding before an issue gets out of hand.
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Healthcare Cyberattacks on Rise, May Get Worse
Cyberattacks affecting healthcare institutions in the United States increased by 63% year over year to a total of 93 major attacks, according to a recent report.
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Undiagnosed Fistula Yields $50 Million Verdict
A patient sued an obstetrician, the hospital, and midwife, alleging that the physician’s conduct amounted to malpractice and the midwife negligently failed to administer a test that would have revealed the fistula.
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Hospital Escapes 40% Ostensible Agency Liability on Appeal
A patient sued his anesthesiologists and hospital, alleging a failure to obtain informed consent and negligence that resulted in his quadriplegia.