Healthcare Risk Management – December 1, 2003
December 1, 2003
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EMTALA: It’s here, it’s new, and it’s still prompting questions for risk managers
One of the hottest sessions at the recent meeting of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management in Nashville, TN, addressed the recently issued final rule for the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act. -
Plenty questions remain about EMTALA’s final rule
Risk managers have struggled for a long time to interpret the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, but the recent release of the final rule promised to clear up a great deal of disagreement and differing takes on what the law requires. Some of that promise was fulfilled, but there still is plenty of room to worry about what EMTALA really means, say legal experts who continue to study the law for its many nuances. -
Don’t get cute with EMTALA; do the right thing
Just because the final Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act eased some of the prior burden on hospitals doesnt mean you should go overboard in trying to divine exactly what is and isnt allowed. -
11 mistakes that cripple your root-cause analysis
You might think youve done enough root-cause analyses that theyre old hat by now and you can just cruise through the process. If so, youre probably making common mistakes that create inconclusive analyses that fall short of addressing the problem. -
Incentives, lifting devices cut back injuries to nurses
One of the best methods for eliminating costly back injuries in health care settings is to stop lifting patients. No lifting equals no back injuries, the experts say. -
Post-op infections most costly and deadly injuries
Medical injuries during hospitalization result in longer hospital stays, higher costs, and a high number of deaths, according to a study from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Postoperative bloodstream infections had the most serious consequences. -
2003 Salary Survey Results
Incomes are up slightly for health care risk managers this year, but you may be staying much later at the office. -
Legal Review & Commentary: A delay of nine months leads to a spread of cancer and a $2.8 million judgment
A 70-year-old man went to the emergency department complaining of shortness of breath. Although chest X-rays showed a suspicious mass in his left lung, physicians did not notify him or his primary care doctor. Nine months later, when he returned to the hospital complaining of shortness of breath, physicians discovered the man had lung cancer. A jury awarded the patient and his wife more than $2.8 million. -
Legal Review & Commentary: An employee, hepatitis C, and a $3.5 million verdict
A floor nurse discovered she had hepatitis C six years after testing positive for the disease. The nurse and her former spouse sued the nurses employer for withholding the information and were awarded $2.9 million and $575,000, respectively. -
SARS audio program updates guidelines
What would happen if a patient with suspected or probable SARS showed up at your emergency department? To help you prepare for the threat, Thomson American Health Consultants offers the upcoming audio conference: The Resurgence of SARS: Why Your Hospital May Not Be as Prepared as You Think, Dec. 9, from 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET.