Articles Tagged With:
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Florida Jury Awards $45 Million After Healthcare System Found Reckless
In July 2020, a 55-year-old experienced a severe heart attack requiring immediate intervention. Rather than directing emergency responders to a nearby hospital equipped to treat the condition, a healthcare system admitted the patient to one of its smaller hospitals and delayed care by transferring him to a larger, in-network facility farther away. The transfer was marred by 90 minutes of delay. When the patient finally arrived, efforts to stabilize him failed, and he died shortly after. The patient’s family alleged that the healthcare system’s internal policies placed business interests ahead of the patient’s survival, a claim that clearly resonated with the jury. Although the defendant invoked Florida’s Good Samaritan Act to argue for immunity under the “reckless disregard” standard, the jury found that the delays constituted reckless conduct.
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EHR Faults Affect Some Specialties More
A survey of rehab therapy leaders from private practices, hospitals, and contract therapy organizations indicates that the known deficiencies in electronic health records may affect some specialties more than others.
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OCR Imposes $1.5 Million Civil Monetary Penalty
The Office of Civil Rights recently announced a $1.5 million civil money penalty (CMP) for HIPAA violations against Warby Parker, the online retailer of prescription and non-prescription eyewear. The case highlights the need for a prompt and effective response after a breach.
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Continuing Concern Over Liability from AI in Healthcare
Risk management concerns were raised as soon as healthcare providers started using artificial intelligence, and the fears are keeping pace with the increasing presence of the technology.
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Nurse Case Managers Can Cut Workers’ Comp Costs
Risk managers should consider using nurse case managers for workers’ compensation cases, even though there can be an additional cost.
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Culture Change Can Be Crucial to Patient Safety
Risk managers often hear that patient safety initiatives and other improvement efforts must have support from the top if they are to succeed, but the real key is having an organizational culture that facilitates those goals, according to a leader in culture change.
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Sorensen Ruling a Win for Anti-Kickback Defendant
In a rare win for a defendant convicted of violating the Anti-Kickback Statute, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit took the rare step of overturning the defendant’s conviction in United States v. Sorensen.
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Predictions for 2034 Include Nuclear Verdicts, Increased AI Use
Key trends in the healthcare industry will continue in the coming decade and exacerbate risk management challenges, according to an assessment by The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group, a malpractice insurer based in Napa, CA. Nuclear verdicts will continue to be a threat to healthcare organizations, and risk managers will have to contend with multiple trends that will require time and resources.
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Outpatient Management of Venous Thromboembolism Diagnosed in the ED
Venous thromboembolism, which includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a common presentation in the emergency department. A systematic approach, incorporating the patient’s history, risk factors, physical examination findings, and validated risk stratification tools, can effectively guide diagnostic evaluation. Many patients with venous thromboembolism can be safely managed in the outpatient setting.
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Antibiotics for Asymptomatic Bacteriuria: Using Urinalysis to Improve Stewardship
A cohort study found that in patients receiving antibiotics for a urinary tract infection, a urinalysis with pyuria and/or nitrituria identified 40% more cases of unnecessary antibiotic use compared to asymptomatic bacteriuria.