Risk Management News and Education

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has certified California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). Effective October 2, 2018, it will become mandatory for all health care practitioners to consult and review the CURES 2.0 system prior to prescribing, ordering, administering, or furnishing a Schedule II-IV controlled substance.

A California appellate court has ruled that an expert’s declaration that a hospital followed a physician’s orders to monitor two troubled young patients was not enough to establish that the facility met its duty to a patient who claimed he was sexually assaulted by his roommate.

Many physicians feel they are not well informed about the indications, risks, benefits, and side effects of medical cannabis. Considering the inconsistency with federal and state laws and the mixed messages between legislation and government action, it is easy to see why most physicians have opted to avoid the issue until the confusion clears.

Effective July 1, 2018, Senate Bill 97 creates a mandatory requirement that a health provider that diagnoses or provides treatment to a patient with Parkinson's disease must report each case of Parkinson’s disease to the California Department of Public Health.

In part 1 of our article for Healthcare Risk Management (HRM), we outlined the issues of informed consent and informed refusals and what steps to take to protect your practice. In part 2 of our article, CAP’s Risk Management and Patient Safety Department will list the strategies and safeguards to have in place when working with advanced healthcare professionals.

We continue the conversation with Dr. Hsieh, Dr. Mikhael, Dr. Townsend and Dr. Steinmann, which we began in the May issue of CAPsules.

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Healthcare Risk Management (HRM) week starts June 18, 2018. In preparation for the week, it is important to understand the role risk management plays in creating a safe and protected physician-patient relationship.

Healthcare Risk Management (HRM) week starts June 18, 2018. In preparation for the week, it is important to understand the role risk management plays in creating a safe and protected physician-patient relationship. 

We recently had the opportunity to sit down with four CAP members who care for and protect patients as well as clinicians by their expertise and their experience. They are all anesthesiologists who are also interventional pain management physicians.