APMA News - June 2013 - (Page S1)

APMA SUPPLEMENT TO APMA NEWS your Trusted News and Information for Young Physicians JUNE 2013 / ISSUE 14 WRONG-SITE SURGERY IN PODIATRY By Barbara Bellione, RN, CPHRM, ARM, Director of Risk Management, Podiatry Insurance Company of America a member of the surgical team failing to speak up when he or she thinks something might be wrong; and • increasing pressure from hospitals to turn over operating rooms quickly. The case below illustrates a wrong-site surgery claim: The patient sought treatment from the podiatrist after she twisted her left ankle. Conservative treatment was unsuccessful; therefore, the patient was scheduled for a left ankle arthroscopy. After the surgery, the anesthesiologist told the podiatrist that the patient had awakened and told a nurse that surgery was done on the wrong ankle. The patient filed a lawsuit against the podiatrist and the hospital alleging she endured pain and suffering, prolonged recovery, and additional medical expenses as a result of performing surgery on the incorrect ankle. A review of this case revealed several factors that contributed to the error. The podiatrist did not see the patient in her room preoperatively to verify the procedure and mark the surgical site. Instead, he relied on the hospital nurses to mark the site, and the nurse marked the wrong ankle. The podiatrist did not review the patient’s medical records prior to beginning the surgery, and he assumed that because the circulating nurse was standing on the claimant’s right side, the surgery was to be done on the right. Additionally, no timeout was called prior to the surgical incision. Due to the indefensibility of this claim, settlement negotiations ensued and the claim was settled. To address the issue of wrong-site surgery, the Joint Commission developed a universal protocol for preventing wrong-site, wrongprocedure, and wrong-person surgery in 2003. The universal protocol was endorsed by more than 50 professional associations Continued on Page 2 • Wrong-site surgery continues to occur across all surgical specialties, even after a national focus on prevention of wrong-site surgery by the Joint Commission, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and other professional organizations. Of the podiatry professional liability claims reported to the Podiatry Insurance Company of America (PICA) since January 1, 2002, 84 resulted from wrong-site surgery. While this number is not a large percentage of overall claims, the incidence of wrong-site surgery claims remains steady. • • • APMA gratefully acknowledges the support of Upsher-Smith, sponsor of Your APMA, and PICA, founding sponsor of the Young Physicians’ Program. APMA IS SOCIAL: ARE YOU? T here are multiple factors involved in instances of wrong-site surgery, including: miscommunication in scheduling the surgery; ineffective hand-off communication; neglecting to mark the correct site of surgery; • • • • marking the incorrect site of surgery; site mark(s) removed during skin prep or covered by surgical draping; mixing up the right and left sides (e.g., when the patient is turned over after prepping); failure to perform a time-out just prior to surgery; TWITTER. Catch up in 140 characters or fewer. @APMATweets FACEBOOK. Be our friend. www.facebook.com/TheAPMA YOUTUBE. Watch what we do next. www.youtube.com/user/TheAPMA http://www.facebook.com/TheAPMA http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAPMA

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - June 2013

APMA News - June 2013
President’s Message
Table of Contents
The Boston Marathon Bombings: Podiatrists on the Front Line
Committee Nominations Requested
What’s the Deal with Biomechanics? How One APMA Member Helped Jerry Seinfeld End Years of Pain
The New Wave of HIPAA Changes: The Final Omnibus Rule of 2013
APMA State Advocacy Forum
Resolutions Submission Deadlines
Emotional Intelligence and Residency Education
Practice Survey Data: Practice Owner Type
It’s All Happening at The National!
Annual Scientific Meeting Registration Forms
Annual Scientific Meeting Sponsors
APMAPAC Chair Report
Coverage Corner
IT Consultant
Inside APMA’s Social Media
Bylaws Propositions Due
Website Wisdom
On the Road with APMA
Small Business 101
CPME Update
Young Physicians’ Accomplishments
Worthy of Note
Affiliates Corner
New Members
Death Notices
APMAPAC Update
Development Update
Classified Advertising
Dates to Remember
Advertising Index
10 Questions
Your APMA

APMA News - June 2013