Healthcare Risk Management
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Hospital is held liable for nearly $2.8 million for misplaced tracheostomy
News: A 49-year-old woman was brought to the hospital after a car crash. She was unconscious and had internal bleeding with a lacerated liver. The hospital staff performed an endotracheal intubation and then successfully operated on the woman’s liver.
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Hospital loses $21.5 million claim against veteran suffering from locked-in syndrome
News: In October 2010, a Navy veteran went to a veterans hospital complaining of a headache and loss of peripheral vision.