MedMal Insider CRICO
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- Science
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For more than 20 years, CRICO has analyzed claims and suits from the Harvard medical community to understand causes of error. We have learned that 67% of claims fall into four high risk areas: Diagnosis, Obstetrics, Surgery and Medication.
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Med Error Leads to Change in L&D Policy
A 30-year-old woman experiencing her first pregnancy, presented to the Labor and Delivery unit. She was given the wrong drug and required an emergent C-section. The "five rights" of medication administration focuses on individual factors and not necessarily on system flaws. Many organizations are also promoting just culture, which encourages reporting near-misses and patient safety events, and focuses on psychological safety and promoting a non-punitive reporting culture.
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Incidental Lung Nodule Overlooked, No Follow-up, Fatal Cancer Advances
A patient was imaged for abdominal pain, but the radiologist saw and reported an incidental finding of a nodule on the lower lung that was not pursued or revealed to the patient for 2 years. The cancer had metastasized, and the patient died from lung cancer 18 months later.
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Overdose or Poor Documentation?
The patient’s family alleged that improper management of the patient under anesthesia resulted in cardiorespiratory arrest, permanent brain damage, and a persistent vegetative state. While the cause of the patient’s cardiac arrest is uncertain, the CRNA failed to note which medications and doses were administered during the procedure, and the case was settled for more than $1 million.
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Response to Charges of Discrimination can Help or Hurt a Hospital, Any Employer
When hospitals and medical practices face charges of discrimination from employees, the consequences can include litigation, large payments, morale problems, and less quality care for the patients they serve. How an employer responds can make all the difference in outcomes. Based on closed claims in the Harvard medical system, two cases illustrate that point. We interview Megan Kures, of Hamel, Marcin, Dunn, Reardon and Shea, who offers some principles to follow.
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Slow to Diagnose Endocarditis After Repeat Visits
One thing that seemed to be missing in this particular evaluation was a formal differential diagnosis that may have been present in the physician’s brain, but wasn’t documented, and there’s no evidence that it was really thought about.
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Signs of Bias in Rejected Request for Accommodation
Boston Attorney Megan Kures explains how a hospital should respond to a request for accommodation. Tip: it shouldn’t be a knee-jerk no, and be sure to involve HR from the start.
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