Healthcare Risk Management – December 1, 2010
December 1, 2010
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Metrics should play major role in risk management, experts say
If you haven't yet incorporated metrics into your risk management program, you should begin immediately, because the use of metrics will drive much of what happens in the field in coming years, say risk managers and other experts. Risk managers who are using metrics may be ahead of the curve, but still need to ensure they are getting the most out of them. -
Top metrics to follow in risk management
The metrics tracked in your risk management program will vary according to your own needs and concerns, but this list of commonly applicable and useful metrics comes from Alan Rosenstein, MD, medical director of Physician Wellness Services, a consulting company based in Minneapolis: -
Be wary of legal issues related to metrics
As good as metrics and dashboards can be for a risk management program, they can bring legal risks if not handled properly, cautions Ari Markenson, JD, MPH, an attorney with the law firm of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff in White Plains, NY. -
Study behavioral issues with metrics
Some topics are obvious when it comes to using metrics, but using metrics to study the behavior of employees and physicians doesn't get as much attention, notes David G. Danielson, JD, CPA, senior vice president for clinical risk management with Sanford Health, a health care network based in Sioux Falls, SD -
Prepare for rising liability costs
Hospitals and physicians should prepare for increasing liability costs, according to the 2010 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis created by Aon Risk Solutions, the global risk management business of Aon Corporation, in conjunction with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) in Chicago -
Court ruling limits demands for records
The Appellate Division of New Jersey has delivered a resounding victory to the provider community, protecting them from endless and harassing requests for confidential business information while "investigating" whether providers should receive payment for services. -
Court: Provider doesn't have to hand over records
The ruling in Selective Insurance Company v Hudson East Pain Management, Docket No. A-0433-09T1, makes clear that health care providers can sometimes say no when insurers demand records. -
RI fines hospital for alleged errors
The Rhode Island Department of Health is fining Rhode Island Hospital in Providence $300,000 for what the state says is a pattern of significant surgical errors. -
Alleged Failure to Recognize and Restrain Patient that Presented Elopement Risk Leads to $900,000 Settlement
An 88-year-old woman was taken to a local hospital after being found sitting outside her son's home, apparently confused. She was then transferred to a nursing facility, where she was diagnosed with altered levels of consciousness and inability to perform activities of daily living. The woman was again admitted to the hospital and fitted with a vest-restraint system. -
Alleged Negligence Causes Oxygen to Ignite: $1.2M Verdict
A woman was admitted to the hospital after suffering a heart attack. The woman was a high fall risk and eventually fell and fractured her nose and cut her forehead. The woman was fitted with an oxygen mask. Shortly thereafter, the electrocautery combined with oxygen from the mask, sparking a fire and leaving the woman with first and second degree burns. A jury returned a verdict of $1,215,000 in Michigan.