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.
[3 MIN READ]
“It’s all about communication!”
The world of medicine has changed by leaps and bounds over recent decades. Computers are 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.”
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 48% of all non-fatal injuries from occupational assaults and violent acts.
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 outcome occurred, the patient has a cause of action for medical malpractice.
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 be no guarantee of immunity, there are things that healthcare providers can do to reduce the threat of loss.
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 not answer the question definitively. Perhaps they are trying to answer the wrong question.
