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Risk managers who fret so much about compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) should worry at least that much about the potential liability from state laws addressing data breaches, say experts on personal data security.
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Risk managers and patient safety experts often run into resistance from physicians when they advocate electronic prescription systems, known as e-prescribing, even though the patient safety benefits are clear. But now a new survey suggests that physicians may be coming around.
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The Virginia Supreme Court in Richmond has ruled that a physician foundation tied to the University of Virginia Medical School in Richmond and its doctors are not immune from malpractice suits because of the foundation's charitable work.
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No one doubts that addicted physicians pose a significant liability risk and threat to patient safety, so risk managers are eager to offer help when asked. But what if the doctor doesn't ask you or anyone else in your organization and instead goes outside for help in beating the addiction?
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The lawsuit filed against Hollywood (CA) Presbyterian Medical Center could affect how hospitals nationwide discharge the homeless, say some legal observers.
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An initiative aimed at standardizing interventions related to the rapid diagnosis and treatment of severe sepsis has significantly improved patient safety at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
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News: A man exhibiting tuberculosis-like symptoms went to a clinic for treatment. Tests were ordered, including an analysis by the state health department, after which it was determined that the man was suffering from a disease related to tuberculosis called Mycobacterium avium. Several months later, the man presented to the emergency department with ear pain and an upper respiratory infection.ï
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News: An obese, middle-aged woman suffering from pancreatitis and gallstones underwent gallbladder removal surgery at a hospital. Over the next two weeks, she continued to experience abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Although doctors suspected that the woman might have gallstones floating freely in her bile duct, they were unable to perform the necessary procedures to confirm that suspicion due to the patient's size. The woman subsequently died.
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Addicted physicians must overcome significant fears about the impact on their careers and personal lives before they are willing to ask for help, so risk managers can help by assuring them the process will be about rehabilitation and not punishment, according to two experts in the field.
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Nearly every health care facility has a patient safety brochure these days, and they almost always come out of some department other than risk management. So do you really know what is in your organization's patient safety brochure?
