The latest thinking from clinical and patient safety leaders from Harvard and around the world. A steady stream of interviews, news updates, legal guidance, effective practices, event highlights, and more.
Discrimination and harassment: what's happening in the Harvard medical system, as a national movement and local lawsuits press institutions to change?
Discrimination and harassment: what's happening in the Harvard medical system, as a national movement and local lawsuits press institutions to change?
Harvard's national database of coded medmal claims leads to changes across the country.
Harvard's national database of coded medmal claims leads to changes across the country.
Related specialties have seen declines in their rate of malpractice suits, but hospitalists have seen their rate of claims remain steady or worsen slightly, while the severity of their cases has gone up.
CRICO assessments are conducted by the patient safety department within their own captive insurer, with no punitive component.
Massachusetts courts try a limited restart this year after trials were suspended, and all non-emergency court business was stopped cold by the pandemic.
Lowering the age for asymptomatic colon cancer screening from 50 to 45 suggests some important changes for physician practices.
CRICO funds work to make therapeutic hypothermia more reliable and maximize its effectiveness.
Until recently, inter-hospital transfer has been under-appreciated as a patient safety risk.
New federal law gives patients access to almost everything in their medical record, including clinical notes.
A new guide to help reduce risk when providing care in the virtual setting is now free online.
For vulnerable and under-served communities, patient safety and quality care were at added risk from the COVID-19 pandemic. At Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, an established team for care equity and diversity knew early on in the pandemic that they had a lot of work to do.
An organized, full embrace of openness is taking hold with a growing number of medical malpractice insurance programs.
Excellent palliative care is inherently challenging; pandemic conditions make it harder
In medicine, the misuse of language can have serious clinical consequences.
Many health care practices are under financial duress from the COVID pandemic, and this is affecting access to care and causing concern over patient safety.
Researchers find three factors that can predict whether a medical professional liability case will end in a payment.
During the COVID-19 pandemic the courts are prioritizing criminal cases, forcing medical malpractice trials and clinician defendants to wait.
Telehealth, or virtual health care: two national experts explain the patient safety and risk management issues related to virtual visits, and how has the pandemic affects all of this.
COVID Not Normal For Providers
COVID Not Normal For Providers
A special report: learn about the law changes protecting MA providers during the crisis.
A special report: learn about the law changes protecting MA providers during the crisis.
A special report: Harvard’s medical malpractice liability program, CRICO, is giving providers extra coverage without extra premiums during the crisis.
A special report: Harvard’s medical malpractice liability program, CRICO, is giving providers extra coverage without extra premiums during the crisis.
A patient safety leader retires, looks back, and prescribes a data-heavy future to manage risk and promote safety.
A patient safety leader retires, looks back, and prescribes a data-heavy future to manage risk and promote safety.
It’s easy to see how patients become confused and dissatisfied in a busy healthcare environment. Multiple risks to patient safety may lie in this scenario; trust, adherence, follow-through, and patient engagement are all on the line. One researcher at Harvard thinks a lot of this can be cleaned up and made safer with a simple card that a physician hands to a patient when they first meet.
It’s easy to see how patients become confused and dissatisfied in a busy healthcare environment. Multiple risks to patient safety may lie in this scenario; trust, adherence, follow-through, and patient engagement are all on the line. One researcher at Harvard thinks a lot of this can be cleaned up and made safer with a simple card that a physician hands to a patient when they first meet.
Can electronic health records be re-designed to reduce the scourge of clinician burnout?
Breast cancer is the leading cause of non-cutaneous cancer death among women between the age of 45–60.
Sepsis is really common and it is really deadly.
With an aging population, concern turns to aging surgeons. Experience versus cognitive decline.
About 2 in every 1,000 patient orders in the fast-paced, high-pressure ER environment involve the wrong patient. Can photo IDs help?
Dr. Einstein is an attending oncologist in the genitourinary program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, and an instructor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Specialists in the Harvard system updated the CRICO Breast Care Management Algorithm in early 2019
Harvard researcher offers variety of methods to anticipate mistakes with diagnosis and prevent them.
Internationally renowned prostate expert Marc Garnick, MD, with clinical insights behind a leading cause of malpractice claims.
Against the downward trend: Malpractice cases in the U.S. that involve cardiology appear to be on the rise and getting more expensive.
We have learned a lot about risks in inpatient care, but there is still lots to learn about safety outside the hospital.
How getting involved in measuring error, analyzing the data, and helping develop interventions to prevent patient harm, transformed this physician.
Generational expert says clinicians can deliver better care by knowing something about each of the current seven generations they live and work among.
The big worry is what you don’t know, what you don’t see.
part III: A new evidence-based tool helps doctors and practices close the loop on referral failures that may harm patients and lead to lawsuits
Patients’ family members are providing direct care between doctor and hospital visits, so what’s their role in patient safety?
part II: A new evidence-based tool helps doctors and practices close the loop on referral failures that may harm patients and lead to lawsuits
A new evidence-based tool helps doctors and practices close the loop on referral failures that may harm patients and lead to lawsuits
Providers at the IHI quality conference heard the message: doctors and nurses deserve to have joy in their work. More than that, the happiness of clinicians is essential to good patient care.
Multi-institution collaborative meets to improve care and promote safety in the ambulatory setting.
Catching Transitioning Patients Before They Fall (through the cracks)