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Risk managers have always struggled to prove the value of their work to health care administrators, because much of what they do consists of preventing expenditures and minimizing costs. A concerted effort to prove the worth of your department can result in a higher profile for risk management within the organization, greater stature for the risk manager, and improved resources.
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With the recent release of the HITECH rule's language on breach notification, risk managers can be left wondering when they have to notify after a breach of protected health information (PHI) in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Sometimes you should call the local newspaper and inform the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and sometimes you can just keep quiet.
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Findings from a new study indicate that measurable medical errors cost the U.S. economy $19.5 billion in 2008.
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A 76-year-old woman is taken to the hospital after collapsing at home. While at the hospital, the woman experiences an allergic reaction to the medications administered, resulting in a rash and blistering. Doctors ordered the woman to be turned every two hours to prevent pressure sores from forming. This course of treatment, however, was allegedly neglected, resulting in septicemia and eventual death.
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A pregnant woman was admitted to the hospital for the delivery of her child. The on-call physician for her obstetrical group arrived and ruptured the woman's membranes. Following this, the physician allegedly began consuming alcohol. At the time of delivery, the baby suffered a fractured humerus. The physician then performed an episiotomy on the patient. The baby's injury healed, but evidence showed that problems with his growth plate could be the cause of future complications. The mother continues to have sexual dysfunction and pain after urination. The total jury verdict against all defendants was in the amount of $2,535,600.
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The proposed final rule for Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009 probably will change little when it becomes the final rule, and that means there will be some significant changes for health care providers, says Kevin Ryan, JD, an attorney with the law firm of Much Shelist in Chicago.
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The American Hospital Association (AHA) says it is worried that, even with the recent changes, the standards in the meaningful use rule may be impossible for some hospitals to meet.
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Clinical alert fatigue remains a vexing problem for health care providers, and the risk to patient safety is high. When clinicians become so annoyed by alarms that they disable them, or so used to hearing them that they do not respond appropriately, patient's lives can be at stake.
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Alert fatigue can lead to behaviors in health care that may seem fine until the day they cause a tragedy, says John Banja, PhD, assistant director for health sciences and clinical ethics at Emory University in Atlanta.
