Healthcare Risk Management – October 1, 2020
October 1, 2020
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Patient Safety Improves with CUSP Approach
A health system in Maine is improving patient safety with the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program. This approach emphasizes empowering frontline staff.
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CUSP Provides Tools and Support for Improving Safety
The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) was developed by safety and quality researchers at the Johns Hopkins Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. CUSP was developed to improve patient safety by providing tools and support for caregivers that can help them identify and address hazards.
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Needlestick Injuries Increasing, but Not Always Taken Seriously
Needlestick injuries are on the rise after a long period of decline. Healthcare organizations may not be taking the risk of infection as seriously as they once did. A national expert on needlestick injuries is urging risk managers to reassess prevention programs and respond more aggressively when staff and physicians are injured.
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DOJ, OIG Changing Enforcement Policies for COVID-19 Era
The federal government’s fraud and abuse enforcement priorities are shifting in response to COVID-19. Risk managers should be ready to adapt their compliance programs in response to the changing risks.
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Common Safeguards Identified in OIG Responses
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) has evaluated several proposed arrangements related to COVID-19 and identified safeguards that pose a low risk of fraud and abuse. Through several responses to proposed arrangements, OIG identified safeguards applicable to most situations that will make remuneration safe from enforcement under anti-kickback and civil monetary penalty rules.
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Focus on Individual Risks to Reduce Patient Falls
Fall prevention is a constant concern for hospitals and health systems, with great costs involved. It is important not to get stuck in the same old way of thinking when it comes to protecting patients. Take the time to re-evaluate your fall prevention program and look for new opportunities to improve this key aspect of patient safety.
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Evidence of Race Disparities in ED Could Support Negligence Claims
If plaintiffs allege they received poor care in an emergency department (ED) because of their race, there is plenty of potentially admissible research that demonstrates it is indeed possible. People of Black or Latin American descent coming to the ED with cardiac symptoms were less likely to be admitted to specialized cardiology units than white patients, according to the authors of a study.
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Appellate Court Affirms $10.3 Million Verdict in Cerebral Palsy Birth Suit
This case revealed multiple important issues on appeal relevant to medical malpractice cases generally. These issues can be divided into three general groups: issues about causation, issues about periodic payment, and issues about the exclusion of witnesses.
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Incorrect Intubation Results in Brain Damage, $16 Million Award
This case presents a rare occasion where a defendant care provider — a federally funded hospital — acknowledges and stipulates to liability, rather than challenging liability in the first instance. It is a rare occasion, but not without a logical explanation.