The Electronic Health Record: No Panacea for Risk
October 17, 2016
“By computerizing health records, we can avoid dangerous medical mistakes, reduce costs, and improve care.” — President George W. Bush, State of the Union Address, January 20, 2004 The move towards the electronic health record (EHR) has been under way for more than a decade now. Hospital administrators, healthcare insurers, IT vendors and government officials…Read More
The Year in Review: Important Developments in Case Law
September 19, 2016
There have been some interesting, and some frightening, developments in case law relating to healthcare risk management since the last annual meeting of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM). While these cases may not have national importance (yet), they have concerning implications for healthcare. In Southern Baptist Hospital of Florida, Inc. v. Charles,¹…Read More
Communication Breakdowns in Healthcare: A Significant Cause of Risk and Malpractice Litigation
June 27, 2016
“It’s all about communication!” The world of medicine has changed by leaps and bounds over recent decades. Computers have become part of our daily lives, and technological advances have significantly improved our ability to diagnose and treat diseases that were once thought incurable. Despite this incredible progress, healthcare providers continue to commit far too many medical errors. And unfortunately, many of these mistakes are simply caused by “poor communication.”
Violence in Healthcare Part 1: Risk Factors & Warning Signs
June 6, 2016
Pinched, pushed, punched, or even stabbed, shot or killed. Nearly every healthcare worker has been a victim or knows a coworker who has been a victim of workplace violence. Workplace violence represents a serious health and safety concern for all employees, but healthcare workers in particular face significant risk. Health and social service industries account for…Read More
Principles of Informed Consent in Healthcare
May 31, 2016
Many practitioners view the process of informed consent in healthcare to be a nuisance and a hindrance. It is often simply one more hoop to jump through so that the patient can get the care he or she needs. This is not true. If the provider was negligent in providing the service and a bad…Read More
Threats of Cyber Liability
April 25, 2016
The possibility of cyber liability (the threat of liability due to unlawful access to electronic data) has been in the news recently. The reports of security issues include losses by large and small providers. Based on the reports in the media, it would appear that no one is immune to this threat. While there can…Read More
Malpractice Claims or Medical Errors: Which One is the Real Target?
April 4, 2016
Is there a reliable way to predict which physician will be sued for malpractice? Researchers, insurers and healthcare professionals have wrestled with this question for decades. A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine and a follow-up response by the Physician Insurers Association of America (PIAA) provide more data points, but admittedly do…Read More
