The med
ical industry has termed events that should not happen "never events". Examples of these incidents include wrong site surgery, wrong patient surgery, etc. A study in the recently published Archives of Surgery found despite use of the Universal Protocol, a standardized checklist specifically designed to prevent such occurrences, they continue to occur and may even be on the rise. The authors concluded a "persisting high frequency of surgical "never events". Strict adherence to the Universal Protocol must be expanded to nonsurgical specialties to promote a zero-tolerance philosophy for these preventable incidents."
Virginia HMO "Report Card" Shows Room for Improvement
The Virginia Health Information released results from their latest study comparing HMO quality and consumer satisfaction. Virginia's HMOs ranked below the national average in half of the measures studied. Michael Lundberg, executive director of VHI, cited breast & cervical cancer screenings as areas that needed improvement, noting a decline in these services since 2005. To compare the state's HMO's, click here.
Student Nurses - 100% Error Rate
A study from Applied Nursing Research found 100% of student nurses made errors in a simulated environment. The study, out in February 2010, measured rule-based errors in four categories. The most common error was in the verification category. To purchase the article for download, click here.
Physicians' Access to Patient Information
Medical record content is coming to your Blackberry, Android, IPhone, etc. A recently announced partnership between Prematics and NaviNet will allow virtually real-time access to administrative, clinical and financial information from patient's health plans. Prematics representative explained the relevant clinical information would be available when the doctor and the patient were together.
"Smart" Patient Rooms - Big Brother Comes to the Hospital?
General Electric will begin testing a "smart patient room" system soon. The technology was originally developed for security groups to scan public crowds for suspicious behavior. The "smart room" tracks in real time using cameras that analyze movements. GE uses the example of hand-washing as a practice the "smart" room system will track citing the high rate of hospital acquired infections in the U.S. Other uses for include tracking visits from physicians, nurses and other health care providers. While this may be the future of health-care, there will be many questions about it. How will these records be used in litigation? Will the patient have access to these films? Will they be considered part of the the patient record? How will privacy be maintained?
Jolly Consulting adds service line - MSA
Jolly Consulting, LLC is pleased to announce the addition of Medicare set aside (MSA) allocations to our list of services! We take the hassle out of this process for you. You send us the information along with the medical records and we do the rest, including the submission and any revisions. Most requests can be completed within ten business days of medical record receipt. Jolly Consulting, LLC has a flat rate schedule for the services associated with MSA. Please contact us to discuss how we can simplify the complexity surrounding MSA.
Observation Status in a Hospital is No Man's Land
Without a three day hospital stay as an inpatient, Medicare will not cover long term care costs. Many patients are admitted under observation status, without their knowledge (Medicare does not require notification) making them ineligible for their subsequent nursing home costs to be covered. There is no difference in the level of care one receives as an inpatient or observation patient. Unless told, one would have no idea of their status. The status can change during the admission - back and forth between inpatient and observation without one's knowledge. Should a patient require rehabilitation in a long term care facility, after surgery or stroke, for instance, those costs are not covered. Many hospitals utilize a tool created by McKesson Health Services, called InerQual, to determine who is eligible for inpatient admission. The company claims the tool is proprietary, a trade secret. All of this is tied to reimbursement. As Medicare tightens its budget and performing recovery audits which are retroactive, facilities are looking to minimize costs. For more information: The Washington Post
Autism & Vaccine Link Rejected by Court
On Friday, a US Court of Appeals upheld the lower court findings of no causal link between autism and the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine which contains a mercury-based preservative. To read the opinion, click here
Three $1,000,000+ settlements
Jolly Consulting congratulates two of our clients who achieved three, million dollar+ medical malpractice settlements in May. Each case involved failure of the nursing staff to appropriately monitor patients leading to devastating consequences. In one case, the nurses' negligence caused the client's death. In the other two cases, clients suffered permanent, disabling injuries.
We Knew It All Along - Chocolate is Health Food!
The Journal of the American College of Cardiology recently published a study showing daily consumption of cocoa flavanols more than doubled a particular blood cell that helps to repair and maintain blood vessels.
CT Scan Radiation Risk
The New England Journal of Medicine published an article yesterday regarding the increase in the average American's lifetime dose of radiation. The issue is CTs, which have a become routine part of medicine. 10% of Americans are getting CTs every year. While CT scans assist physicians in making diagnoses, the radiation exposure is many times that of plain x-rays. Additonally, doses delivered by different CT scanners are not consistent. Radiation exposure has been linked to many types of cancer. Experts are recommending consistent dosing of scanners and physicians being more selective about requesting the scans.