Journal of healthcare risk management : the journal of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management
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J Healthc Risk Manag · Jan 2014
Electronic health record-related safety concerns: a cross-sectional survey.
Federal electronic health record (EHR)-related initiatives are leading to rapid increases in their adoption. Despite their benefits, EHRs also introduce new risks that can lead to serious safety events. We conducted a Web-based survey of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management and the American Health Lawyers Association to elicit perceptions regarding the frequency and types of EHR-related serious safety events. ⋯ More than half (53%) of respondents reported at least one EHR-related serious safety event in the previous 5 years, and 10% reported more than 20 events. EHR workflow (63%), user familiarity with the EHR system (63%), and integration with existing systems (59%) were most frequently endorsed as variables associated with EHR-related serious safety events. Because EHR-related safety concerns are underreported, organizations should consider implementing robust measures of EHR safety within their institution as a key step for mitigating these concerns.
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J Healthc Risk Manag · Jan 2014
Analysis of patient injury based on anesthesiology closed claims data from a major malpractice insurer.
The analysis of malpractice claims can provide risk managers with a detailed view of patient mortality and morbidity. The data comes from many institutions, encompasses a diverse group of practitioners and practice settings, and contains detailed clinical information. Analysis can help identify patterns of injury, risk factors, and rare and sentinel events. ⋯ The most frequent claims were death and nerve damage when teeth damage was excluded. Obesity impacted anesthesia outcomes more frequently than did other comorbidities. Although there were fewer claims from the smaller hospitals, those claims had higher rates of mortality and nerve damage compared to larger-size hospitals. Further analysis is needed to evaluate these trends as well as impact of specific patient comorbidities on anesthesia outcomes.
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J Healthc Risk Manag · Jan 2013
Healthcare risk management challenges created by federal regulation of electronic medical records and care management.
Health information technology (HIT) continues to evolve at an ever accelerating pace. Recent federal legislation has encouraged the widespread adoption of electronic record systems in the healthcare environment.(1) The federal government recognizes that advanced electronic health record (EHR) systems with clinical decision support (CDS) functionalities have the potential to offer numerous benefits to the quality of patient care.(2.)
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J Healthc Risk Manag · Jan 2013
Automated, wireless, continuous, intelligent, and noninvasive systems for risk management and performance improvement in vital signs monitoring.
Few health professionals need to stay up-to-date on as many different problems and solutions as risk managers do. Consequently, a single solution that resolves several problems at once is really helpful for job performance, especially when it doesn't require duplicating effort in multiple areas. This article summarizes current literature about one such technology that helps risk managers address 3 of today's biggest challenges for healthcare delivery organizations: reducing costs, improving quality, and preventing harm across the continuum of clinical care; ensuring valid and reliable data for healthcare clinical and managerial decision makers; and adopting technologies that improve the medical marketplace.