Healthcare Risk Management – April 1, 2017
April 1, 2017
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OB Risk Reduction Focuses on Nurses, Detailed Timelines
Obstetrical malpractice claims make up only a portion of all cases, yet they demand an undue amount of attention from risk managers and defense attorneys.
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Careful Log of Time, Incidents Can Be Crucial to Defense
OB malpractice cases often hinge on the fine details of when certain events happened, when steps were taken, and how much time passed before clinicians intervened to protect the patient.
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Nurses Should Understand Their Risk in OB Malpractice
It is critical for nurses to adhere to specialty standards and recommendations to avoid legal action in case of a patient injury.
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Case Highlights Role of Nurse in OB Safety
Nurses are perceived as highly skilled and educated professionals who are charged with making clinical observations, exercising discretion, and taking appropriate treatment actions based on a patient’s changing clinical picture.
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Commenting on Past Employee Behavior Is Thorny Issue
Inquiries about a previous employee or physician’s performance at your hospital can put administrators in a difficult position.
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The Joint Commission Requires Some Information
Courts have imposed a duty of care that hospitals must exercise in granting privileges, and The Joint Commission likewise requires hospitals to obtain references and information from other facilities with which the physician has practiced.
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Patient Complaints Tied to Worse Outcomes
Patient complaints can have a direct correlation with the quality of a surgeon’s performance, according to a recent study.
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Cloud Encryption Not Used Enough in Healthcare
A quarter of healthcare organizations do not use encryption to protect data in the cloud, leaving the electronic protected health information (ePHI) of patients at risk of exposure, according to a recent survey by HyTrust.
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$5.5 Million Settlement Related to Audit Controls
In a case that highlights the need for proper audit controls, Florida’s Memorial Healthcare System (MHS) has paid the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) $5.5 million to settle potential HIPAA violations.
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Failure to Diagnose Case Settles for $8 Million
Two facilities failed to diagnose a patient's condition, leading to quadriplegia and an $8 million settlement.
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$1.2 Million Awarded in Fatal Injection Case
A patient experienced cardiac arrest following a nerve block injection, resulting in death and a lawsuit from the patient's estate.