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Florida Jury Awards $68 Million to Patient in Sodium Spike Case

Providers should understand a patient’s chart should be thoroughly and completely reviewed throughout treatment. In this case, it is clear on at least several occasions providers either did not notice the information in the medical record, or they did not review test results. They also failed to administer medications ordered by another practitioner.

Malpractice Outcome Hinges on ‘Reasonableness’ of Wait Time

To prevail in malpractice litigation involving a leave without being seen patient, the patient must prove the ED’s failure to treat him or her within the time frame of the visit violated the standard of care. Also, the attorney must prove his or her client suffered harm as a result of that violation.

Watch for Emerging Threats and Risks in 2023

Over the coming year, risk managers can benefit by watching recent trends in telehealth, labor shortages, and data breaches.

Providing Legal Cannabis Can Bring Potential Liability

Physicians who recommend medical cannabis, and their affiliated hospitals or clinics, should be aware of potential legal risks, even when state law allows medical use. Federal law prohibits physicians from prescribing cannabis, even in states that allow its use. To enable the use of cannabis for medical reasons, some states use terms such as “recommendation” or “certification” as opposed to a prescription from a physician.

Fire Safety Requires Ongoing Training, Hands-On Practice

Fire safety is a major concern in healthcare facilities, but the most effective programs include constant education and training that expose staff to the conditions they might face in an emergency.

The Role of Critical Access Hospitals

In rural areas, critical access hospitals provide care to patients who otherwise would have to travel much further for adequate care. Serving in a critical access hospital can be a much different experience than a larger hospital system, or even a hospital in an urban or suburban environment. Due to lack of training and support, even the case management process might not be as seamless or efficient as it is in other settings.

Understanding Bundled Payments

Bundled payments can be confusing for case managers to navigate. The philosophy behind the bundled payment reimbursement model is that in managing the patient carefully across the continuum, transitions will be smoother and the care will improve, all while staying mindful of how the dollars are spent. It is meant to be a meeting of quality of care and cost-effectiveness.

Best Practices for Maternity Case Management

In many ways, case management in the maternity and labor/delivery units is unlike other areas of the hospital. Often, the mothers and babies are healthy, and simply in need of support through the process. For that reason, it may even seem that case management is unnecessary. However, it is important to maintain a strong case management department that serves in labor and delivery as well as the postpartum units.

Case Managers Can Better Educate Patients and Families About Opioid Addiction

While the world focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, another crisis — the opioid epidemic — continued to unfold, taking hundreds of thousands of lives. Hospital discharge is an opportunity for case managers and other providers to help prevent patients from becoming victims of opioid overdoses.

ACO’s Comprehensive Patient Navigation Can Reduce Costs, Increase Satisfaction

Surprisingly, accountable care organization enrollees who are given fewer choices but better navigation assistance in making decisions are happier with their healthcare access, researchers found.