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A professional truck driver was involved in a serious motor vehicle accident. EMS personnel placed him on a backboard, supported his neck with a cervical collar, and transported him to the nearest trauma center. While being triaged and evaluated in the ED, the patient's protective neck collar was removed and he was assisted in walking to a wheelchair. On the way to the wheelchair, he collapsed and has been unable to walk since. The patient and his family brought suit against the trauma center and emergency physicians; they were collectively awarded $31.1 million, which included almost $8 million in punitive damages against the hospital.
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Can we ever "reserve capacity" for special purposes and refuse transfers even though we technically have beds open? We'd like to save an intensive care unit bed for any in-house emergencies, but that might mean refusing to accept a transfer due to "no capacity," and that seems like we're telling a white lie.
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though incorrect dosing occurs in about 5% of patients with heart attack who receive a certain blood clot-dissolving therapy, patient-related factors appear to be more responsible for adverse outcomes than the dosing errors, according to a recent study.
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Risk managers often see the media as enemies trying to show you at your worst, but you're better off looking at reporters as potential allies. That may be hard when they're firing aggressive questions at you, but with the right approach you can use the media to get your message to the public, say the risk control director with CNA HealthPro in Chicago, and a risk control consultant with the company.
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Officials at two small hospitals in New Jersey say impostors tried to gain access to their facility in scenarios that match the accounts heard from other hospitals across the country.
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The Department of Homeland Security recently issued a special bulletin that warns of an increase in suspicious activity at hospitals. DHS warns that the impostors may be terrorists and that “U.S. hospitals offer easy public access and would be recognized by terrorist planners as easy, accessible targets. Known targeting of such facilities would instill great panic and fear in the general public.”
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Never assume people are who they claim to be, says the president of the International Association for Healthcare Security and Safety in Glendale Heights, IL.
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The vice president for accreditation field operations with the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations urges risk managers to question anyone claiming to be a Joint Commission surveyor at your facility.