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Healthcare providers know that many medical malpractice claims are without merit, but the common wisdom is that a great many of those are settled anyway. A new report, however, indicates that only one in five malpractice claims against doctors leads to a settlement or other payout.
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A woman with a normal pregnancy was admitted to the hospital after going into labor. The woman first was seen by the attending OB physician, who later went off duty. Another physician assumed responsibility in the afternoon and was extremely busy. An examination of the woman showed that the baby was occiput posterior.
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The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) in Florida has fined Louisville, KY-based Humana $3.4 million for failing to report suspected or confirmed Medicaid fraud to the state on a timely basis.
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Disclosing a medical error is never easy, but it can become especially complicated when you need to tell the patient that a previous provider was in the wrong. This delicate situation often requires communication with the other provider before you tell the patient anything.
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In the recent opinion from the Ohio Court of Appeals concerning a malpractice case against Michael Knapic, DO, by plaintiff Leroy Davis, the court carefully considered the question of what the Ohio legislature meant to protect with its apology statute.
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A rule from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is causing healthcare providers to reassess what is considered a medical device and what the classification might mean in terms of liability and reporting requirements.
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A New York City hospital is taking patient identification into the 21st century by using palm scans to avoid identity confusion and improve patient safety.
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Physicians who already were skeptical about apologizing to patients might start citing the recent malpractice case against Michael Knapic, DO, as evidence that, rather than diminishing their malpractice risk, an apology could seal their fate in court. That's a misinterpretation of this case, says Doug Wojcieszak, founder of the Sorry Works! Coalition in Glen Carbon, IL, which promotes apologies from healthcare providers.
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Doing the right thing doesn't guarantee that everyone is going to be pleased, says Frederick S. Southwick, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases and quality projects manager for the senior vice president for health affairs at the University of Florida Shands Health System and the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainseville.
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Three years ago, when Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, FL, had its Joint Commission survey, the 392-bed facility did not have a great result.
