At the 11th Annual Spine, Orthopedic & Pain Management-Driven ASC Conference June 13, Carol Hiatt, RN, licensed healthcare risk manager, consultant and accreditation surveyor for Healthcare Consultants International, discussed proactively managing risk related to innovative spine surgery.
Here are some commonly neglected risk exposures of offering new spine surgery services that Ms. Hiatt shared:
• Consent. Centers often fail to include specific risks related to the procedure or implant in the patient informed consent form.
• Credentialing and privileging. ASCs often fail to add appropriate credentials and privileges before performing new procedures.
• Contractual services. A common mistake is to fail to verify qualifications and knowledge of people providing contracted services in the facility.
• Staff training. ASCs may not provide adequate training to staff related to preoperative surgical clearance and patient education.
• Special considerations. Many informed consent documents do not include aspects of the procedure that may conflict with a patient's religion.
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The Engineering of Better Joint Replacement Outcomes: Q&A With Dr. Geoffrey Westrich of Hospital for Special Surgery