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Cardiologists and the Infirmary Health System in Mobile, AL, needlessly exposed patients to radiation in a kickback scheme that lasted nine years and cost Medicare, Medicaid, and Tricare an estimated $522 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
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In addition to being part of good patient care, communicating clearly and effectively can reduce the chance of a patient seeking legal action. Better communication also improves safety and helps to avoid adverse events.
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When risk managers try in so many ways to improve patient safety, patients family members are an often overlooked partner, says Karen Curtiss, president of PartnerHealth system based in Boston and founder of Campaign Zero Families for Patient Safety.
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Four essential steps can help providers improve safety for patients using opioids, according to advice offered by the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS), a Chicago-based advocacy group of physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists, healthcare organizations, and patient safety advocacy groups.
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A wrong-site surgery resulted in a medical malpractice lawsuit filed recently against SSM Health Care - St. Louis in Missouri and a neurosurgeon, and the plaintiffs attorney suggests that the cause might be a failure of the entire operative team to participate in the time-out.
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The idea of full disclosure of adverse events was proposed to the risk management community years ago. Remember how controversial that idea was? Then the next suggestion was that providers should apologize for their errors. More debate ensued.
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A fall reduction system that encourages caregivers to respond early to warning signs has been proven to significantly reduce falls, according to the manufacturer.
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Ambient background noise whether it is the sound of loud surgical equipment, talkative team members, or music is a patient and surgical safety factor that can affect auditory processing among surgeons and the members of their team in the operating room (OR), according to a new study.
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Risk managers routinely use a root cause analysis (RCA) to determine the true source of an adverse outcome or other event, but are your RCAs as good as they could be?