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An elderly gentleman with a history of fainting presented to a hospital emergency department was admitted for observation and testing then discharged without a conclusive diagnosis or treatment plan.
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A patient received quinine sulfate when she should have gotten quinidine sulfate. The medication error resulted in her experiencing a multitude of medical aliments. She brought action against the provider who dispersed the wrong medication and was awarded $120,000 through a mandatory arbitration process.
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Take two aspirin and e-mail in the morning creates serious risk
First of two parts on risk and e-mail
E-mail is becoming increasingly common in health care, but chances are your policies and procedures have not kept up with the serious risks that can be created when people send e-mail without stringent safeguards.
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The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago offers extensive guidelines for reducing the various risks associated with e-mail use in health care.
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The Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has announced the 2006 National Patient Safety Goals and related requirements for each of its accreditation programs, with new requirements for safely handing off patients from one caregiver to another.
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The use of alcohol-based surgical preparations in the operating room is gaining new attention as a potential fire risk, and one expert says risk managers should ensure that OR staff take specific steps to prevent serious injury.
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Hospital-acquired infections are worsening in the United States, according to a recent report from Colorado-based Health Grades Inc. And a hospitals infection rate may be correlated with its likelihood for medical errors, the group suggests.
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News: A patient tripped and fell over a vacuum cord after he had been discharged from the hospital, dressed, and was walking toward the nursing station to retrieve his valuables. He was readmitted for surgery to repair his torn medial meniscus. He sued the hospital and its cleaning service and was awarded $150,000 in damages.
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Litigation regarding e-mail in health care already has reached the trial level, says Edward C. Mintzer Jr., a partner with the law firm of Rawle & Henderson in Philadelphia.
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With more and more health information being transferred electronically, risk managers must be more cautious than ever about complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), says Cheryl Camin, JD, an attorney on the HIPAA practice team at the Dallas law firm of Gardere Wynne.
