Healthcare Risk Management – May 1, 2006
May 1, 2006
View Issues
-
Rising number of obese patients pose special liability risks
The rise in bariatric surgery and the trend toward Americans getting ever larger is creating a new liability threat that risk managers must address proactively, ... -
Obese patients covered under EMTALA, ADA
Hospitals and physician offices must accommodate obese patients or risk running afoul of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or the Rehabilitation Act, ... -
Tips for working with large patients
The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) in Chicago recommends that risk managers assess their organization's readiness for treating obese patients. -
Follow guidelines closely to avoid gainsharing trouble
There has not yet been a major case illustrating the perils of poorly constructed gainsharing agreements, probably because everyone is so scared of the potential penalties that they go to great lengths to make sure everything is on the up and up, ... -
Guidelines from OIG help make gainsharing safe
Barron Bogatto, JD, a partner in the health care and business transactions sections of Jackson Walker, a law firm in Houston, provides this summary of the gainsharing guidelines offered by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG). -
Pre-op safety briefings help reduce errors, improve care
Health care giant Kaiser Permanente is introducing the idea of a "preoperative safety briefing" to all of its facilities with the aim of encouraging more communication among surgical team members. -
Safety briefing held before any incision is made
preoperative safety briefing in use at Kaiser Permanente hospitals always is held before any incision is made, but other than that direction, Kaiser leaves it up to individual hospitals to determine when to do it. -
Fingerprint scanners help improve record security
The emergency department can be an especially difficult place to balance the need for security of patient records with easy access for physicians and staff, but one hospital in Chesterfield, MO, is finding that a high-tech solution can do the job. -
Insurer drops rates after Texas adopts tort reform
The Doctors Company, a medical malpractice insurer based in Napa, CA, reported recently that premiums for new and renewing policyholders in Texas would drop by an average of 18%, ... -
Legal Review and Commentary: Ineffective, delayed treatment of sepsis leads to double amputations and $3.6 million settlement
A baby boy in extreme pain was taken by his mother to the doctor, who performed several tests on the child. While the mother and her baby were awaiting the test results, the boy's lips turned purple and he began vomiting. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Administrative simplification enforcement rule in effect
The Department of Health and Human Services published the final enforcement rule for all HIPAA Administrative Simplification rules with an effective date of March 16, 2006. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Survey suggests shift toward long-term benefit
The latest U.S. Healthcare Industry HIPAA Survey ... indicates participants in the health care system view the HIPAA privacy and security standards as building blocks for web-based communication structures rather than simply a compliance burden. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Info-Tech Research Group says HIPAA is 'ineffective'
With only one enforcement criminal conviction recorded since 1996, HIPAA is failing to meet its mandate, according to Info-Tech Research Group. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: MGMA concerned about e-claims standards
The Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) has raised concerns about electronic claims attachments with federal officials. -
HIPAA Regulatory Alert: Ohio court puts state open records law over HIPAA
The Ohio Supreme Court says the state's open records law takes precedence over HIPAA privacy requirements.