Healthcare Risk Management
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Concurrent surgeries: How much is too much?
Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has been the focus of controversy over the safety of concurrent surgeries and whether patients have a right to know when surgeons are dividing their attention. One patient safety leader tells Healthcare Risk Management that the practice is not necessarily improper but should be monitored by risk management.
Hospital recounts NICU mistake and how staff did not disclose properly
A recent issue of the Safety Matters publication at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston told the story of how a tubing connection error occurred in the neonatal intensive care unit, which caused intravenous fluid to damage the baby’s skin at the wrist.
TV screens, ‘WalkRounds’ promote safety messages
Discussing mistakes in its Safety Matters newsletter is only one way that Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston encourages patient safety.
Risk managers should disclose errors to staff, not just to the patient
Most hospitals have embraced the idea of disclosing medical errors to the patient and family members, but Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston goes a step further by informing all staff about these incidents. The policy could provide information to be used against the hospital in litigation, the risk manager says, but educating staff and improving patient safety are worth the risk.
Failure to diagnose cervical cancer leads to $9.6 million liability for medical center
In 2011, a 61-year-old woman was informed she had stage 3 cervical cancer. She was told this news at the same medical center from which she had received her last three yearly vaginal examinations. In each of her prior three examinations, the woman complained of pain, but she was informed her Pap smears were negative for cancer.
State malpractice cap shelters healthcare facility from paying $3.5 million of $7.5 million jury award
In 2010, a woman had a section of her colon removed and believed there was a cancerous mass on the removed section. The remainder of her colon was stitched together by a surgeon at a medical center. The woman became increasingly ill over the next couple of months and received follow-up care from a physician at the same healthcare facility where the surgeon performed the original procedure.
Hospitals sued for excessive fees to obtain medical records
Two plaintiffs are suing two Washington, DC, hospitals for what they say are excessive and illegal charges for providing copies of their electronic medical records.
Boston hospital pays record amount for drug diversion allegations
In the largest settlement of its kind involving allegations of drug diversion at a hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston has agreed to pay the United States $2.3 million to resolve allegations that lax controls enabled MGH employees to divert controlled substances for personal use.
Whistleblower revealed in $70 million fraud case
Federal officials have revealed the identity of a Fort Lauderdale, FL, orthopedic surgeon who blew the whistle on a hospital system that ended up paying nearly $70 million to settle charges of healthcare fraud.
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.