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In response to news about a possible program that would encourage patients to report medical errors, eight U.S. congressmen wrote to Carolyn Clancy, MD, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, to express their concerns.
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The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) has posed liability risks for hospitals for many years, but EMTALA obligations have been limited mainly to the emergency department (ED). Now a recent decision by a federal district court in Texas suggests that the law could be applied much more broadly to inpatients as well.
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A proposed system that would encourage patients to report medical errors is getting mixed reviews from the healthcare industry and legal professionals, with many expressing concern that the reports would yield little useful information but drive up medical malpractice costs.
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The recent federal district court decision from Texas involving the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) concerned an inpatient who alleged that repeated attempts to transfer him from the hospital violated the statute.
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There are a number of unanswered questions about the proposed patient report system for medical errors, and one of the most important is how the data would be used, says George B. Breen, JD, an attorney with the law firm of Epstein Becker Green in New York City.
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It is estimated that 50% to 60% of physicians and hospitals are exploring ways to team up. Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon Corp., expects this trend to lead to significant collaborative activity, including mergers, acquisitions, joint ventures, and additional developments across the United States.
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No matter the precise structure of the accountable care organization (ACO) or network that they are joining or forming, it will be critical for hospital risk managers to carefully manage the risks associated with the transition to ACOs.
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The healthcare industrys transition to accountable care will require significant cultural and operational shifts, bringing new risks that many organizations have yet to fully identify and manage, according to a new white paper from Marsh, the insurance broker and risk management consulting practice based in New York City.
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Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is asking three North Carolina hospitals to explain their use of a federal discount drug program after news reports described how the hospitals charge their patients a big mark-up on certain drugs, such as cancer-fighting drugs.
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The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently released its Work Plan for the fiscal year 2013, giving risk managers a heads-up about what topics will be of most interest to regulators over the next year. Some are perennial favorites, such as fraud and abuse, but there are many new areas of focus for 2013.
