Healthcare Risk Management – April 1, 2006
April 1, 2006
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Patient Safety Alert supplement
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Document disclosure efforts carefully to avoid legal pitfalls down the road
With all the push for full disclosure of adverse events in the past few years, a new problem has arisen for risk managers who support telling patients and family members the whole truth. -
Policy on disclosure shows decisions on proper content
The following is a sample section of a policy and procedure for disclosure documentation offered by Fay Rozovsky, JD, MPH, president of the Rozovsky Group, a risk management firm in Bloomfield, CT. -
Sample disclosure note to put in patient record
This is an example of how Fay Rozovsky, JD, MPH, president of the Rozovsky Group, a risk management firm in Bloomfield, CT, suggests a disclosure conversation should be documented -
Root-cause analysis might be shallow-cause analysis
Many risk managers who think they are conducting a root-cause analysis (RCA) really aren't, says Robert Latino, vice president of The Reliability Center, a risk management consulting firm in Hopewell, VA. -
Logic tree can get to real cause of a systemic error
Robert Latino, vice president of The Reliability Center, a risk management consulting firm in Hopewell, VA, recommends a tool developed by his firm calls the "logic tree" for investigating chronic problems or adverse events. -
Gainsharing agreements save money but pose risks
Gainsharing agreements are becoming increasingly popular as hospitals and other health care organizations look for ways to cut costs and improve profitability. -
Program reduces central line infections by 50%
A concerted effort to standardize the way central lines are introduced has reduced infections by 50% and resulted in nearly perfect adherence to evidence-based practices at 10 hospitals in the Cincinnati area. -
Legal Review and Commentary: Failure to monitor diabetic's blood sugar leads to brain damage, $3.9 million California settlement
An adult patient, who had been diagnosed with diabetes at age 11, was admitted for surgery to repair his retina due to injuries related to diabetic retinopathy. -
Legal Review and Commentary: Records release yields $26,000 settlement in UT
In the midst of a contested divorce proceeding, the plaintiff-husband's medical records were released by a treating physician who employed the defendant-wife.