Drug diversion is a perennial problem for healthcare organizations. Risk managers should know there is substantial liability risk from the possible effects on patient safety. This problem is not improving, industry sources say — and some things are getting worse.
A propofol disposal initiative at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, reduced the number of full propofol bottles in an ICU waste bin to zero, successfully addressing drug diversion at the facility.
Healthcare organizations encourage and sometimes require staff to file safety incident reports after any kind of mishap. But many of those reports include improper accusations of wrongdoing and blaming individuals. This undermines the value of the incident reports.
The U.S. Department of Justice recently announced it recovered more than $5.6 billion under the False Claims Act in fiscal year 2021, more than double the $2.3 billion recovered in fiscal year 2020. Healthcare-related recoveries accounted for almost 90% of the 2021 settlements and judgments.
Employers often focus on avoiding discrimination charges from employees. But healthcare organizations must remember patients also can allege discriminatory conduct. The consequences can be significant.
A team of nurses at Massachusetts General Hospital developed a way to improve communication between nurses and patient care associates that helped reduce falls and infections. The effort decreased falls by 25%, catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 50%, and hospital-acquired pressure injuries by 33%.
The main issue in this appeal is whether the plaintiff presented sufficient evidence to support a medical malpractice claim. To prevail in a malpractice action, the plaintiff must prove the standard of care, a deviation from that standard of care, and a causal connection between the deviation and the claimed injury.
