Healthcare Risk Management – October 1, 2015
October 1, 2015
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The Surgical Black Box is Here
There's growing interest in using systems during surgery to record a wealth of information, such as data from medical devices.
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Black boxes are similar to birth videos and other taped recordings
The data from surgical “black boxes” would revive liability concerns that previously arose from patients recording childbirth and the practice of surgeons giving patients a video of their procedure to take home, legal experts say.
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Problem of wrong-site surgery and retained objects won’t go away
Wrong-site surgery errors persist even after years of concerted efforts to avoid them, and some of the standard prevention policies and procedures might not be effective enough. Some hospitals are finding other ways to prevent this never event and other errors.
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Communication issues lead to wrong-site errors
Despite years of emphasis on using the Universal Protocol and site marking, wrong-site errors occur in about one in 100,000 surgeries, according to a recent study in the journal Surgery.
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Surgeons respond well to wrong-site stories
Research reports from the Veterans Health Administration suggest that surgeons are affected by hearing tales of wrong-site errors and the lessons learned, but that adherence to the Universal Protocol does not prevent the errors.
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Data suggests tort reform decreases patient safety
Risk managers want to lower malpractice damages and improve patient safety, but recent research suggests that those goals might be at odds with each other. Legislation that caps malpractice damages actually might lead clinicians to make more errors. The reason? They relax, because they know the potential consequences are limited.
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Problem lists can threaten safety, pose liability risks
Many hospitals use problem lists as a way to catalog all health issues affecting a patient, or at least those that are particularly noteworthy for other physicians. A recent study and malpractice case, however, highlight the risk posed by having a policy on problem lists and not following it.
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CMS proposes changes to Stark Law on self-referral
Several revisions have been proposed to the 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, including a new exception to the regulations under the federal physician self-referral law, commonly referred to as the Stark Law.
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$750K HIPAA settlement highlights policies for controlling devices
Cancer Care Group agreed to settle potential violations of the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. Cancer Care paid $750,000 and will adopt a robust corrective action plan to correct deficiencies in its HIPAA compliance program.
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Medical and healthcare groups join to reduce diagnosis errors
More than a dozen major medical societies and healthcare organizations, including patient and consumer advocates and government partners, have joined forces to address diagnostic errors in medicine, through the newly formed Coalition to Improve Diagnosis.
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Cost savings reported from remote video monitoring
A remote video monitoring system can significantly reduce hospital costs while maintaining quality of care, according to peer-reviewed clinical research.
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HRM adds free CME
Beginning this month, Healthcare Risk Management offers free continuing medication education, in addition to continuing nursing education. To participate, simply see the instructions in this issue.
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Overprescribing opioids leads to more than $718,000 jury verdict
News: In 2009, a 64-year-old man went to the hospital seeking treatment for his broken foot and an exacerbation of his COPD. While in the hospital’s ED, he was given 3 mg of Dilaudid, a powerful opioid used to manage pain. He was given the drug three times, 1 mg at a time over three hours.
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Failure to disclose doctor’s financial interest in medical product leads to $5.5 million verdict
News: A man with three broken ribs was admitted into a local hospital. It was determined the man did not need surgery but should have his pain managed before being discharged a few days later.