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Imagine this e-mail from one of your colleagues being Exhibit A at your malpractice trial: "You misdiagnosed Jane Doe with indigestion last night and she showed up this morning on my shift with a heart attack and didn't live. Since this is your third time to miss this sort of thing, you really need to pay better attention."
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Before giving a stroke patient tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), you must consider not only whether the patent is a candidate, but also whether the setting is appropriate, says Edward Jauch, MD, MS, assistant professor in the department of emergency medicine at University of Cincinnati and a member of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Team.
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Emergency physicians are much more likely to be sued for not administering tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to stroke patients, than for giving the drug, says a new study.
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You are treating a patient that you feel would be a good candidate for 'Drug X.' Unfortunately, 'Drug X' is not indicated by the FDA for the treatment of that specific condition; and, you are unable to find prescribing information regarding the optimal dose or duration of therapy with 'Drug X' for that condition. You realize that your use of 'Drug X' in this circumstance would be considered "off-label." What legal risks, if any, might you face?
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Once a privacy breach occurs with a patient's medical records, the risk manager must act quickly and decisively, says Layna Cook, JD, an attorney specializing in health care risk management with the law firm McGlinchey Stafford in Baton Rouge, LA. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires mitigation when a violation occurs, Cook notes.
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An elderly woman was admitted to the hospital complaining of constipation and suffering from septic shock. She subsequently suffered an interruption in her gastrointestinal (GI) motor activity, after which she was medicated and transferred to a second hospital for further treatment.
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An infant abduction was quickly solved in part because the hospital used an infant alarm that quickly alerted staff to the kidnapping, according to hospital and police officials in Sanford, FL.
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If you allow a live surgery broadcast, you should include some requirements for the company doing the broadcast, says Stacy Gulick, JD, an attorney with the law firm of Garfunkel in Great Neck, NY, and a former hospital risk manager.