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Most health care providers are more at risk for mold toxicity than the Florida hospital now facing lawsuits related to pediatric deaths, says one mold suppression expert.
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High-powered Tampa, FL, attorney Steve Yerrid, JD, says the three children at the center of the lawsuit against St. Joseph's Hospital did not have to die from toxic mold. If only the hospital had taken the right steps to control the risks associated with a construction project, the children might have survived, he says.
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The deaths of three young cancer patients within a month of each other at St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa, FL, were caused by toxic mold released during a hospital construction project, according to a lawsuit brought by the parents.
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Risk managers take some solace in knowing that not every allegation of malpractice will fall on the hospital, that sometimes the individual physician or physician group will be responsible for defending the claim. But there is cause for concern with a recent court ruling that could increase the chance of the hospital being held responsible under the "apparent authority" concept.
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News: A man sustained lacerations to his right index finger and middle finger and was immediately taken to the emergency department (ED) of a local hospital, where a physician's assistant sutured the wound. The man returned to the hospital on three occasions, where hospital officials noted decreased extension in the man's long finger of his right hand.
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News: Following an elective thyroidectomy, a woman was diagnosed with hypocalcemia. Although calcium was ordered, it was never administered to the woman, despite persistent symptoms of the calcium deficiency. The woman eventually went into cardiac arrest and sustained anoxic encephalopathy, becoming comatose.
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The recent high-profile conviction of a hospital CEO involved in kickbacks and providing unnecessary care to homeless patients shows that risk managers always must be on alert for illegal activities that may be hidden behind the doors of an executive suite.
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This is the second of a two-part series about the hidden risks and liabilities of medical helicopters. In last month's Healthcare Risk Management, we explored the risks and reviewed recent crashes. This month, we compile advice on lowering those risks and take a closer look at one hospital that has revamped its medical helicopter system after experiencing two crashes.
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Don't believe anyone who tells you the health care industry is "recession-proof," says Thomas E. Getzen, PhD, professor of risk, insurance, and health management at the Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia. Getzen also is executive director of the International Health Economics Association.
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The current recession is hitting every sector of the economy, and health care is no exception. In addition to the financial woes that are affecting many companies, health care providers are facing a second threat the increased risks and liabilities that stem from the way people respond to their own money problems. Health care risk managers should be on the lookout for those recession-related risks and do what they can to minimize the damage.
