Healthcare Risk Management
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Many ED Malpractice Claims Are Rooted in Poor Communication
Most ED patients are, at some point, handed off to other providers — admitting physicians, the ICU team, on-call consultants, or primary care physicians. Good communication is crucial in the ED. -
Improve Handoffs with Patient Care Partners
Quality patient handoffs are crucial to patient safety. They can be improved by expanding the scope of a handoff to include discharge. Hospitals can proactively ensure every patient is discharged with someone who is prepared to help the patient recover at home, or prepared to find others who can and will. -
Hospitals Underreport to NPDB, Creating Doubt
The Department of Justice recently announced a large healthcare system in the Northwest agreed to pay more than $22 million to settle allegations that two former spine surgeons falsified or exaggerated patient diagnoses and performed unnecessary surgeries. The case is the latest to show how problematic physicians often are not reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank. -
Improve Patient Safety with Employee Rewards, Celebrations
Active engagement with employees can help improve patient safety. Build a culture of safety by showing employees how much their contributions matter. -
Nurse’s Criminal Conviction Could Chill Safety Investigations
A former nurse was recently found guilty of negligent homicide related to a medication error. She admitted to overriding a safeguard before administering the wrong medication to a patient. The case may negatively affect safety investigations.
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Late Actor’s Family Reaches $1 Million Settlement in Wrongful Death Lawsuit
The hospital that staffed the “cowboy” surgeon failed in its duty to protect the community from the unsavory practices of this unproctored, non-credentialed member of their medical staff. Given the fact that hospital and medical staff leadership not only were aware of his rogue behavior, but they encouraged and enabled the behavior until the inevitable occurred and a life was lost, the breach of duty and the culpability of the defendant parties is overwhelmingly apparent. -
$4.25 Million Failed Diagnosis Award Reduced to $250,000 by Statutory Cap
The issue in this case is whether MICRA’s cap on noneconomic damages applies to actions against physician assistants where a licensed physician is legally responsible for supervising the physician assistant but provides minimal or no actual supervision. -
CDC and CMS Report Alarming Decline in Patient Safety During Pandemic
An analysis by the CDC and CMS indicates important metrics in patient safety reversed during the COVID-19 pandemic. -
Biden Administration Cracking Down on Nursing Home Safety
The Biden administration is promising an effort to improve safety and quality of care in the nation’s nursing homes. The fact sheet foreshadows substantially stiffer oversight and harsher enforcement. -
OSHA Updates Stance on COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
OSHA is reopening the rulemaking record to allow for new data and comments on the Emergency Temporary Standard issued June 21, 2021, intended to protect workers in healthcare settings from occupational exposure to COVID-19.