Healthcare Risk Management – October 1, 2009
October 1, 2009
View Issues
-
Hospital sends undocumented, uninsured immigrant home for care, wins civil suit
What is a hospital to do when it has already invested in care for an undocumented, uninsured immigrant who has a traumatic brain injury? -
Start discharge planning early
Planning for the discharge of a patient as soon as that person enters the emergency department is not heartless or an effort to push patients out the door as a cost-saving tool... -
Difficult discharge needs caution, documentation
Patrick J. Hurd, JD, an attorney with LeclairRyan in Norfolk, VA, has seen cases in which hospitals struggled to discharge illegal immigrants, and he says the keys to success are proceeding cautiously and prudently, documenting the choices made and the rationale behind each. -
Whistle-blower suit shows need for vigilance
A California hospital's recent settlement of a whistle-blower lawsuit reinforces the need for risk managers to be vigilant about preventing and seeking out sweetheart deals for physicians that may violate Medicare's anti-kickback statute, say attorneys familiar with the case. -
Case shows wide reach of fraud regs
The allegations of Medicare fraud at the Tulare (CA) Regional Medical Center and its parent, the Tulare District Healthcare System, show how whistle-blower cases can go beyond the classic type of kickbacks... -
Choose words with care when apologizing for error
Risk managers have accepted, if not always embraced, the idea of admitting errors and apologizing after an adverse event, but figuring out exactly what to say can be a challenge. -
Public comments won't be same as private
Let people apologize when appropriate, but remember that what you say in private may not be suitable for the public. -
Hospital, contractor sued for patient bleed out
A Maryland hospital and one of its subcontractors are being sued for malpractice by the family of a man who say a technician mistakenly released a clamp that allowed the patient to bleed to death before anyone noticed the error. -
Legal Review & Commentary: Failure to refer, diagnose, and properly chart care leads to fatal cardiac arrest: $1.5M verdict
A 59-year-old woman was admitted to the observation area of a local hospital. The woman was thought to have had an allergic reaction to cholesterol medication she was taking, and the staff recommended she remain under observation for 23 hours. The next morning, the woman experienced chest pains and the nurse administered meperidine and nitroglycerine. The nurse did not inform the attending physician of the administration. The woman was discharged and died the same day. -
Legal Review & Commentary: Diseased transplant heart results in $2.7M verdict
A 58-year-old man presented at the hospital for a heart transplant. His heart was removed and discarded, and a donor heart was transplanted into the man. The man never awoke from the surgery and died three days later. The man's estate sued the hospital and the physician who harvested the heart.