Hospital
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CNO Says Hospital Fired Her for Criticism of Electronic Medical Record
A former nursing executive at Sonoma West Medical Center (SWMC) in Sebastopol, CA, says she was fired for raising concerns that the facility’s electronic medical record was a threat to patient safety. The electronic medical record was developed by one of the hospital’s board members.
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Patient Shot by Security Officer Sues Hospital
A patient who was shot by an off-duty police officer working security at St. Joseph Medical Center in Houston, TX, is suing the hospital, its parent company, the city of Houston, and four police officers.
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National Fraud Takedown Nets 301 People And $900 Million in False Billing
The recent arrest of 301 people for healthcare fraud brings the campaign against fraudulent billing to another level and illustrates that licensed professionals are as vulnerable as everyone else.
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Feds Offer Best Practices Response to Ransomware
After a spate of attacks in which hospital computer systems were seized and held for ransom, the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, and Health and Human Services have issued technical guidance summarizing existing “best practices” to prevent and respond to ransomware incidents.
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CANDOR Toolkit Helps After Adverse Events
After an adverse event, prompt and honest communication with the patient and family members has become the best practice in healthcare over the past decade, and the federal government is supporting that effort with a new toolkit from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
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Ask the Hard Questions After an Adverse Event
Even when the cause of the adverse event is identified, investigators should drill down further to identify other factors that may have played a role, says Edwin G. Foulke Jr., JD, partner with the law firm of Fisher Phillips in Atlanta and former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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Tips on Interviewing Witnesses, Debriefing
In addition, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) offers advice on how to debrief clinicians involved with adverse events. AHRQ notes that all forms of debriefing have a shared structure that involves setting the stage followed by three phases, including description or reactions, analysis, and application. The following is some of the advice from AHRQ:
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Protect Privileged Information in Adverse Events
Carefully consider the role of privilege in an adverse event investigation, says Amy Hampton, JD, partner with the law firm of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings in Nashville, TN.
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‘Perfect Compliance’ Impossible, Attorneys Argue
Perfection is unattainable when it comes to the myriad regulations that healthcare organizations must follow, according to an amicus brief in the case of Universal Health Services Inc. v. United States et al. ex rel. Escobar et al, on behalf of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
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Supreme Court Rules on Implied False Certification
In Universal Health Services Inc. v. United States et al. ex rel. Escobar et al, the U.S. Supreme Court addressed a case involving Yarushka Rivera, a teenage beneficiary of Massachusetts’ Medicaid program who received counseling services for several years at Arbour Counseling Services, a satellite mental health facility owned and operated by a subsidiary of petitioner Universal Health Services.