If someone asked you right now if all of your employees , subcontractors or vendor personnel are completely up to date on their credentials, immunizations , background checks and tests, would you be able to answer a 100% affirmative with
complete confidence? Could you do an audit in seconds to verify your answer or would you be hoping that everything comes out ok when you ask the various departments? Is your organization checking and keeping up to date documentation on agency employees or vendors to make sure they have their credentials or/and immunizations in order?
According to leading malpractice statistics Nurses and Allied staff are the fastest growing segment for medical malpractice. Imagine if your organization is sued and your staff credentials are not up to date. Also imagine what might happen if JCAHO or a state agency comes in for their yearly audit and a number of your employees have missing or not up to date credentials. Or worse, what happens if one of your nurses or allied professionals makes a mistake with a patient causing there to be a malpractice case and your employees credentials are not up to date?
Most Hospitals employees need 20-30+ credentials, certifications, background checks, immunizations, and other important documents in their file. Multiply that by 250 or more employees and that is a monumental, time consuming task that is usually done by a variety of people, using excel software, and old fashioned filing cabinets.
Credential Agent can change all of that. You can either use our software to help you manage that entire process much more easily then your current process or you can contract with us and we will manage the whole process, using our software, making sure you are 100% compliant.
The cost saving can be large . Certainly there is a large savings in worker productivity but potentially in reducing your risk of insurance premiums. Even if a small percentage of your employees are out of compliance, it could lead you to huge risks in malpractice or litigation that far out way the cost of the software or services and in the end, having 100% up to date compliance for all your employees is really, the right thing to do.
Get a demonstration of Credential Agent today and let us show you how CA can help your organization become more efficient, while also reducing your insurance premiums.
Nursing Malpractice Statistics
The number of nursing malpractice cases has been rising at an alarming rate over the past five years. Nursing malpractice is one of the most serious problems facing the medical profession today. Generally defined as negligence by a nursing professional, nursing malpractice can result in serious emotional or physical damage to the patient. Like other medical professionals, nurses can be held accountable for any negligence or wrongdoing that results in patient harm.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of nursing malpractice, you may be entitled to seek compensation for your losses. Please contact me so I can inform you of your legal rights.
Common Forms of Nursing Malpractice
Nursing malpractice can take many forms.
Nursing Malpractice: A Growing Problem
There are not nearly as many registered nurses in the United States as are needed. Nurses are often overworked, underpaid, and in some cases unqualified. To keep up with the demand, many hospitals are employing unlicensed and inadequately trained nurses from temporary staffing agencies.
Recently, a study was published in the Journal of Health Affairs found that when a nurse’s shift lasts longer than 12.5 hours, nurse errors are three times more likely to occur. Unfortunately, such lengthy shifts are not uncommon given the shortage of qualified, registered nurses.
Nursing Malpractice and the Law
The law allows victims of nursing malpractice to hold responsible parties liable. Victims of nursing malpractice may be eligible to recover damages, including medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering, and more. If you or a loved one has suffered serious injury or harm as a result of nursing malpractice, you need to ensure that your legal rights are protected.
Hospital Malpractice
Hospital malpractice occurs when the staff of a hospital engages in improper or negligent medical care or treatment of a patient and the patient suffers harm as a result. This means that the care does not meet the standards that reasonable professionals in the same field and community would provide. Hospital staff includes more than just the doctors. It includes the hospital’s nurses, pharmacists, technicians and other staff as well.
Types of Hospital Malpractice
Hospital malpractice can take many forms. It can be based on: (a) a mistaken diagnosis, (b) failure of the hospital staff to treat a patient, (c) failure to monitor or stabilize a patient’s condition, (d) failure to refer patients to appropriate specialists, and (e) failure to order the necessary diagnostic tests. Likewise, improper treatment such as the incorrect administration of medication (wrong medication or wrong dosage), improper use of anesthesia, improper use of medical equipment, and unnecessary or non-consented-to surgeries may be hospital malpractice. Preventable infection resulting from sub-standard hospital procedures is another common cause for hospital malpractice suits.
Hospital Malpractice Statistics
Statistics on the number of injuries and deaths due to hospital malpractice are the subject of dispute in medical communities. There is no national system for monitoring or reporting the number of preventable injuries or deaths in hospitals, but a widely-cited year 2000 report from the Institute of Medicine titled, To Err Is Human, estimated that 98,000 people die annually as a result of medical errors. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in July, 2001 estimated that more than 22 percent of active-care patient deaths were possibly preventable.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics published a year 2001 report that cited 1,156 medical malpractice suits were litigated in the 75 most populous counties. Nine out of ten of the cases involved a patient who was permanently disabled or had died as a result of negligent medical care. The win rate in medical malpractice cases was 27%, significantly lower than the 52% average in tort cases. However, the median damage award of $425,000 was much higher than the average tort award of $27,000. It is important to note that these are only the cases that went to trial, and does not include cases settled out of court.
Not every failure of treatment or of a procedure is malpractice. Often doctors and hospital staff do everything they can for a patient and the patient still suffers pain or dies. But if you believe that the care you or a family member received in a hospital was insufficient and led to harm, it is important to contact me as soon as possible. I can assess your case and help you decide if it is worthwhile to pursue legal action. Most states have statutes of limitations that dictate how long you have to file a malpractice suit.
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Schedule a free online demo today to see how Credential Agent could help you. http://www.credentialagent.com/demo/ Just have a question, contact us at 866-331-4483 or [email protected]