Risk & Quality Management
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EEOC Says Employers Can Mandate Vaccines — with Exceptions
Under certain circumstances, employers are permitted to mandate their employees to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of their employment. That position was outlined by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in guidance published in December 2020. However, this guidance is not without its limits.
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HIPAA Issues Can Arise with COVID-19 Vaccinations
HIPAA can become an issue if healthcare employers require proof that employees have received a COVID-19 vaccine. Under HIPAA, immunization records are protected health information.
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Vaccine Rollout Brings Legal, Labor Concerns for Employers
As the rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines continues, healthcare employers face complicated questions about what they can require of employees, how to handle employees who refuse the vaccine, and other potential legal consequences that may result in the coming months.
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Papers Detail Hazards of Surgical Smoke
Researchers provide more detailed definitions, offer possible solutions to minimize risk.
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Hospital Reduces Episiotomies with Transparency on Peer Rates
Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston is reporting continued success with a program that reduced the rate of episiotomies from 9.11% of births to 3.44%. The hospital used a five-step approach that focused on publicizing the rate of episiotomies and encouraging physicians to improve their individual rates. The hospital’s experience is an example of how some quality improvement efforts may take time to implement, but can produce long-lasting results.
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Hospital Cuts COPD Readmission Rates with Bundle Checklist
A Maryland hospital’s COPD readmission average rate was 16.09%. Rates higher than 10.8% resulted in a penalty. Leaders set a target goal of 10.7%, and a stretch goal of 10.2%. The hospital surpassed both goals within a year. Read on to learn how they pulled it off.
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Defense Verdict Rejects $16 Million Demand, but 14-Minute Deliberation Gives Rise to an Appeal
A widow filed a malpractice action alleging a hospital’s failure to evaluate the patient, which would have revealed extreme respiratory distress. The patient’s death was caused by a lack of oxygen. Experts testified that if the patient had been placed on a ventilator, he would have had a significantly higher chance of surviving his condition, pneumonia. Following a seven-day trial, the jury rendered a defense verdict after a mere 14 minutes of deliberation. The plaintiff brought a post-trial motion seeking to overturn the decision, and the court ordered a new trial.
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Complications from Gastric Bypass Surgery Result in Brain Injury, $14.1 Million Award
A patient underwent gastric bypass surgery, but suffered permanent brain damage because of post-surgery complications and requires around-the-clock care for the rest of her life. The patient sued, alleging that the physician who performed the procedure failed to recognize that she was suffering from a severe thiamine and vitamin B1 deficiency, which led to her injuries. A jury awarded a $14.1 million verdict. The defendant physicians appealed, but the appellate court affirmed the verdict.
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Annual Physician Liability Survey Reveals Hardening Markets
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OCR Seeking Ways to Improve HIPAA, Respond to Value Concerns