Healthcare Risk Management – August 1, 2017
August 1, 2017
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Use Algorithm to Determine Better Med/Mal Reserves
Setting case reserves for medical malpractice cases is a challenge that requires a mixture of data, experience, wisdom, and a good bit of guesswork. The accuracy of that calculation often is attributed to the risk manager, and that can be detrimental when reality doesn’t match the prediction.
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Stanford Approach Helps Avoid Huge Verdict
This case study shows the use of the Decision Analysis Reserve and Trial Strategy tool, a structured reserve-setting process created by The Risk Authority Stanford.
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Ensure Lab Results Don’t Go Overlooked
Errors related to poor handling of lab results are a well-known patient safety risk, but risk managers should not assume their physicians and staff follow the proper policies and procedures to avoid liability.
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Failed Lab Result Deliveries Result in Payouts
Data from The Doctors Company illustrate malpractice cases from 2011 to 2016 in which a failure or delaying in reporting findings of lab results was a contributing factor.
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Lab Result Phone Alerts Mean Faster Discharge
Critical lab results can be delivered sooner and patients can be discharged more quickly by delivering lab results immediately to physicians’ smartphones, according to recent research.
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Medical Staff Management Can Be Minefield
Dealing with problematic physicians requires wading into a tangle of strict legal requirements on how a doctor can be investigated, and there are ample opportunities for missteps.
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OCR Provides Checklist, Advice on Cyberattacks
The HHS Office for Civil Rights is offering guidance on when a cyberattack constitutes a HIPAA breach and must be reported.
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States Moving to Throw Out Med/Mal Caps
The Florida Supreme Court ruled recently that caps placed on medical malpractice damages in personal injury cases are unconstitutional.
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Anthem Settles Breach Lawsuit for $115 Million
Insurance giant Anthem has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit over a 2015 cyberattack for $115 million, the plaintiffs’ attorneys announced in June.
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$130,000 in Penalties for Illegally Deferring Notice of Breach
The Department of Justice recently announced a settlement with CoPilot Provider Support Services after the company waited more than a year to provide notice of a data breach that exposed 221,178 patient records.
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Too Much Focus on Satisfaction Scores: The Patient Isn’t Always Right
Is a patient, family member, or other visitor being rude or disrespectful to clinicians? Clinicians often feel they had no recourse if a patient or family behaved disrespectfully.
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Statutory Personal Injury Caps Violate Florida’s Equal Protection Clause
Florida Supreme Court justices found that the state's personal damages caps discriminate against those who are severely injured.
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Couple Unsuccessful on Failure-to-Diagnose Claim
This case illustrates the importance of developing a firm understanding of expert witness qualification. Expert witness testimony is very frequently pivotal in a case.