Articles Tagged With:
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Finger-Pointing in Nurse Charting Is Opportunity for Plaintiff
Emergency nurses and physicians may not understand the liability implications of using charts to air grievances. A unified defense is recognized as the best approach for all defendants in ED malpractice claims, but finger-pointing notes make it difficult. Physicians and nurses should meet briefly before each shift to discuss the importance of teamwork, not only regarding patient care but also documentation.
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$12.5 Million False Claims Act Settlement Shows Government Loss Not Required
A False Claims Act lawsuit involving alleged kickbacks for placing drugs on formularies has been settled for $12.5 million. The case is instructive because it shows the False Claims Act can apply even when the government has not lost money from the alleged violations.
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Biden Administration Expected to Expand Enforcement; Pandemic Grants Targeted
The enforcement of white-collar crime laws in the healthcare sector is likely to expand under the Biden administration, particularly regarding fraud associated with the billions of dollars in grants Congress allocated to hospitals and other health providers for pandemic relief.
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Closed Claims Study Shows Pain Management Risks as COVID-19 Contributes
An analysis of closed medical malpractice claims related to pain management identifies common areas of risk and reveals the COVID-19 pandemic has created new possibilities for liability. A top contributing factor in 90% of all closed claims was insufficient consent between the physician and the patient or family.
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Changes to Stark Law Create Leeway for Inadvertent Errors
Proposed changes to the Physician Self-Referral Law (Stark Law) and other laws would give healthcare organizations more ability to avoid self-disclosure and refunds. The changes are expected to be finalized soon.
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Physician Judgment Case Might Mean More Risk from FCA
Clinicians make judgment calls every day that do not always turn out to be correct, even when they are made in good faith. A recent court decision regarding the medical necessity of hospice care could put clinicians and hospitals at risk of False Claims Act allegations when judgment calls turn out wrong.
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Despite High-Risk Residents, Only 37% of Long-Term Care Staff Vaccinated
In what would appear to go beyond vaccine hesitancy to outright refusal, 62.5% of staff at thousands of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have turned down COVID-19 vaccine.
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SHEA Outlines Research Agenda for COVID-19, Future Viral Pandemics
Looking to future viral pandemics as well as the current one of COVID-19, the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America has set an ambitious research agenda to improve preparation and response to these cataclysmic events.
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Long COVID: The Daunting Aftermath of Even Mild Infections
One of the most mysterious and disturbing aspects of SARS-CoV-2 infection is so-called “long COVID,” which presents as a panoply of symptoms that can linger for months after even mild acute cases.
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Pregnant Women at High Risk of COVID-19 Mortality
Case-fatality rates in pregnant patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 were 13.6 times higher than similarly aged non-pregnant women with COVID-19, according to a preprint study in Washington state.