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Certain characteristics may help you spot which surgeons are most likely to have malpractice suits filed against them, allowing you to focus your risk management education on those most in need of help, according to a physician who has studied the phenomenon.
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Researchers have found that a new computer system that uses bar codes to safeguard patients medications can work successfully, but not without creating new, serious problems for nurses charged with patient care.
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The Center for Patient Advocacy recently released a survey of surgeons, operating room nurses, and consumers, which suggests that health care professionals have serious concerns about the reuse of single-use medical devices and their impact on patient health and safety.
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Questions still remain about the plan to vaccinate some health care workers against smallpox as health care leaders debate the safety of the vaccine, how it will worsen the shortage of personnel, and its potential liability concerns.
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Recently released guidelines on how to safely use e-mail to communicate with patients will become the standard of care in short order, says one expert. That means health providers must comply with the recommendations quickly or risk increased liability.
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After several visits to its family physician, an 11-month-old child was taken to a hospital emergency department (ED). The child was then transferred to a childrens hospital, where a test for tuberculosis (TB) was positive. While the TB had gone undiagnosed and untreated, the child developed meningitis, which eventually led to brain damage.
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A nursing home patient developed a cyst on her labia, and her treating gynecologist ordered a sitz bath to relieve the condition. However, the nurses administering the bath thought they were to treat the affected area with steam and the patient was burned with steam and scalding water. She died seven months later, and the family brought suit against the owner and operator of the facility.
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There is much for risk managers to rejoice about in the final rule of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), with many of the most vexing parts of the law either clarified or eliminated altogether. But there still is plenty to keep you busy.
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When a blackout struck the northeastern United States recently, some hospitals encountered difficulties that offer a lesson for risk managers about issues that may be overlooked during your typical emergency planning sessions.
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GAO: Claim losses lead to rate increases; Florida predicts savings from liability reform
