Traditionally, readmissions are considered a problem for hospitals because hospitals receive the brunt of the consequences in the form of financial penalties. Going forward, readmissions are going to be an issue for physicians more and more. The major force behind this change is the Affordable Care Act, according to Ann Whitehead, the vice president of risk management and patient safety of the Cooperative of American Physicians’ CAPAssurance program.

The issue of throughput in the ED must be addressed with policies and procedures that ensure patients are not neglected while waiting for a bed, says Dona Constantine, RN, a former ED nurse and senior risk management and patient safety specialist with the Cooperative of American Physicians in Los Angeles. The hospital must have a clear policy that addresses questions such as who is in charge of a patient discharged from the ED but waiting for a bed. Is it the physician the patient has been admitted to, or is it still the physician in the ED?

Health care professionals are respected for the depth and breadth of their clinical knowledge. As essential as this expertise may be, statistics illuminating the hidden epidemic of low health literacy have made the cultivation of a very different skills set—provider-patient communication skills equally important to achieving patient safety and optimizing patient outcomes.

This article examines some of the important features of a patient portal and the security features necessary to protect patient information. It also reviews what meaningful use criteria is as it is set forth by CMS.

Smaller hospitals and clinics must avoid the common mistake of thinking they won't fall victim to cyberattacks, warns risk management expert Tom Andre, vice president of information services at the Cooperative of American Physicians, which offers malpractice and cyber insurance.