Healthcare Risk Management
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Hospital Creates Harm Collaborative to Improve Communication With Executives
Some patient safety issues are so important that risk managers and other safety leaders need direct access to the C-suite so that concerns can be addressed quickly. Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, MI, devised a harm collaborative that makes that possible. The collaborative meets weekly so that risk managers and other safety or quality professionals can address the executive team about individual patient cases or trends that are concerning.
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Appellate Court Finds Expert’s Affidavit Sufficient Evidence of Triable Issue of Fact
A motion for summary judgment was inappropriate here because of the expert’s substantive affidavit. This expert provided more than a simple declaration stating that the expert was retained and would eventually opine; this expert, who was appropriately qualified, offered a specific opinion on issues of the standard of care, delays in diagnosing and treatment, and deviations of the standard of care.
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Court of Appeals: Plaintiffs Failed to Present Issue of Fact by Not Using Expert Testimony
This case reveals lessons in substance and legal procedure, as the defendant hospital and physicians successfully defeated the medical malpractice claim in multiple forums and prior to the need for a jury.
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Cyber Risks Will Continue to Grow in 2020
With cybersecurity, one of the biggest patient safety threats is ransomware. Ransomware attacks have become easier to launch, and attackers increasingly are targeting smaller healthcare organizations where cyberdefenses may be less sophisticated and employees less savvy about how to spot threats.
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New Approach Needed to Address Workplace Violence
Workplace violence occurs at rates more than four times higher than in other industries. Patients and family are under stress, and often take it out on the physicians, nurses, and other employees. Any solution must begin with collecting data on how violent incidents occur, including near misses.
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2020 to Bring More Focus on Patient Safety, Technology Solutions
Patient safety will be the primary concern for risk managers in 2020 as government regulators and accrediting bodies continue to raise their expectations in this area for healthcare organizations, several experts predict.
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‘No Comment’ Is Never the Right Response
When something has gone wrong and your hospital or health system is under scrutiny, it may seem the simplest response is to say nothing. But that can be a huge mistake, because “no comment” never looks good.
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Crisis Management Requires Action Plan for Quick Deployment
Crisis management after a significant clinical event or other issue can thrust the risk manager into a sink-or-swim situation. A proper response can minimize the negative effect and a poor response can greatly magnify the fallout. Managing such an event requires preparation up front so an action plan can be activated when needed.
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Physician Not Liable for Alleged Complications After Gallbladder Removal
This successful defense case reveals potent methods for defeating medical malpractice claims. On the substance, the defendant physician successfully challenged one of the necessary elements that an injured patient must prove when alleging medical malpractice: causation. Causation includes factual and legal aspects, where the physician’s actions must have been a “substantial factor” in contributing to the patient’s harm, but there may be an intervening action or event that cuts off the physician’s liability. If the risk of injury exists, even when a procedure is performed correctly, then simply because an injury occurred does not mean that the physician was negligent.
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Negligent Thyroid Surgery Results in $2.2 Million Verdict
One of the primary lessons from the case for physicians and care providers is that assistant physicians, including residents, may be subject to liability for failing to provide services within the standard of care as well, and that standard does not change for a resident still in training.