Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Simple searches of hospital medical records using medical injury keywords are more beneficial in identifying and preventing medical errors, than the use of conventional billing codes. A study at six Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals found that these Google-like searches were effective in reducing errors, leading to recommendations that electronic medical record systems include such search features.

Billing codes are widely used as a way to measure patient safety ratings. The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services uses billing codes to evaluate the quality of care at U.S. hospitals. However, the study at the Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals found more success with text searches. Researchers reviewed records at six VA hospitals between 1999 and 2006. The records were configured to allow specific keywords. A total of 2,974 patients who had undergone surgery were included in the analysis.

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The death toll from the stage rigging collapse at a concert at the Indiana State Fair over the weekend already stands at five. Authorities believe the toll could rise further, because there is little information about the condition of some of the injured people.

The tragedy occurred on Saturday night when people at the Indiana State Fair grounds were waiting for a concert by country music group Sugarland, to begin. A storm was approaching, and the rigging had been buffeted by strong winds for a while. According to police, they had taken the approaching storm and dark clouds into consideration, and had been discussing a decision to evacuate the concert to another building. The concertgoers had been informed about this. However, before they could begin the evacuation, the metal scaffolding collapsed on unwary concertgoers.

Continue reading "Death Toll from Indianapolis Stage Collapse Rises to Five" »

A group of social scientists and researchers from the US and the UK have conducted a study into why the checklist developed by Peter Pronovost is so effective in preventing hospital-acquired infections. Indiana medical malpractice lawyers believe that the results could offer answers to hospitals on how to further reduce their infection rates through the checklist.

The study involved researchers from the Johns Hopkins University, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Leicester. The researchers were not looking at whether the program worked. There is plenty of evidence to indicate that the checklist had been very successful in reducing hospital-acquired infection rates, especially the rates of deadly central line-associated bloodstream infections in intensive care units. The researchers were looking at why the checklist was so effective in reducing infections. They focused their efforts on how the program has fared in Michigan, where it is being used in more than 100 hospitals.

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