Laura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM

Medication errors are common in outpatient settings, and research suggests that half of all avoidable harm in healthcare is related to medications.¹ Taking steps to minimize medication errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) is a worthwhile goal for healthcare practices, and they should have processes and procedures in place to guide medication safety.

Laura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM

Healthcare technology is quickly advancing and offers many promising prospects for improving patient care and reducing safety risks. One advancement that may prove highly consequential is the surgical, or operating room (OR), black box — a technology that seeks to improve surgical safety and outcomes.

Documentation is paramount in healthcare delivery because it memorializes patient care, facilitates communication among caregivers, forms the basis for coding and billing, provides data pertinent to quality improvement, and may provide information that is critical to the defense of a legal action. Documentation also serves a crucial role in disclosing unanticipated outcomes, such as medical errors, medical mismanagement, system errors, or other unforeseen situations that lead to patient harm.

Healthcare providers have the right to choose which patients they want to treat. They also have the right to terminate relationships with patients for various reasons, as long as they are not violating state or federal laws (e.g., in relation to discrimination or abandonment).

Laura M. Cascella, MA, CPHRM

Issues related to informed consent are a persistent area of concern in healthcare and a source of liability exposure. MedPro malpractice claims data show that more than one-fourth of all communication-related malpractice cases involve allegations associated with informed consent.¹ Many of these allegations are related to inadequate consent processes and failure to manage patient expectations.