Healthcare Risk Management
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Neurosurgeon Found Not Negligent in Emergency Surgery Delay Case
The California Court of Appeal for the Second District upheld a trial court’s ruling in favor of a neurosurgeon accused of medical negligence in a case involving a delayed emergency surgery.
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AI May Help with EM Handoff Notes
Recent research suggests large language models, a form of artificial intelligence, may be useful in improving the quality of emergency medicine handoff notes, but it also illustrated shortcomings of the current technology.
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Adverse Event Investigations Require Focus on Just Culture, Improvements
Adverse events are learning opportunities, but the benefits depend on conducting an optimal investigation that adheres to best practices. Adhering to tenets of just culture and avoiding assumptions are key to yielding the greatest improvements.
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New Dashboard Aggregates Hospital Safety Data
The Health and Human Services (HHS) National Action Alliance for Patient and Workforce Safety has launched the National Healthcare Safety Dashboard, which aggregates hospital safety data from four primary measurement sources.
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OR Fire Lawsuit Shows Risk of Major Liability
A hospital in Oregon is facing a $900,000 lawsuit after a man’s face caught fire during surgery, highlighting the continuing risks of operating room fires and the substantial liability that can result.
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Key Players Have Different Investigation Roles
When investigating adverse events, it is important for each team member to understand their roles.
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Philadelphia Jury Awards $6.8M After Hospital Fails to Find Stomach Perforation
On Nov. 22, 2024, a Philadelphia County jury awarded $6.8 million in a medical malpractice case to the estate of a patient who died after experiencing complications from a procedure to treat liver cancer. The lawsuit alleged negligence on the part of the hospital and its medical staff for failing to identify a stomach perforation that occurred during the procedure.
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Pennsylvania Court Affirms $8 Million Verdict for Failure To Repair Uterine Artery
On Dec. 6, 2024, the Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld an $8 million jury verdict against a hospital in a medical malpractice case stemming from a cesarean delivery procedure. The appellate court found sufficient evidence to hold the hospital vicariously liable for its employees’ conduct, affirming claims that failures during surgery and post-operative care led to permanent harm to the plaintiff.
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Older Physicians May Need Attention to Ensure Patient Safety
Research indicates that some older physicians may pose a threat to patient safety, but only a small number of healthcare organizations are developing strategies to require screening and additional actions to address these concerns. Policies are inconsistent among those organizations.
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Documentation Huddles Improve Quality and Safety
CARE Homecare, an in-home care agency serving seniors in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, CA, use documentation huddles to improve quality of care and the usefulness of records in any legal dispute.