The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued on March 14, 2014 revised guidance, “Requirements for Hospital Medication Administration, Particularly Intravenous (IV) Medications and Post-Operative Care of Patients Receiving IV Opioids”. Continue reading “CMS Guidance Recommends Monitoring of All Patients Receiving Opioids”
Tag: postoperative monitoring
Identifying Patients at Risk for Postsurgical Opioid-Related Adverse Events
By Laura Menditto, MPH, MBA (Independent Health Outcomes Research Consultant, Laura A Menditto LLC )
What if there existed a way for perioperative nurses to identify patients at high risk of experiencing opioid-related adverse events (ORADEs)? Could hospitals evaluate the potential benefits of targeting high-risk patients for strategies aimed at reducing ORADEs? Could nurses and doctors use the scoring model to predict—and avoid—ORADEs in future patients? Continue reading “Identifying Patients at Risk for Postsurgical Opioid-Related Adverse Events”
Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Supports Leah’s Law For Continuous Electronic Monitoring of All Post-Operative Patients Receiving Opioids
AOL recently did a video feature on Lenore Alexander’s appearance on the Katie Couric Show “Shocking Medical Mistakes”
AOL recounts Lenore’s discussion with Katie Couric that “Leah was not hooked up to any monitors” following her successful surgery to repair a condition called pectus carinatum or ‘pigeon’s chest’, a fairly common condition where the sternum protrudes forward caused by an overgrowth of cartilage. Continue reading “Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Supports Leah’s Law For Continuous Electronic Monitoring of All Post-Operative Patients Receiving Opioids”
Leah’s Law and Katie Couric Show on Shocking Medical Mistakes
Katie Couric recently invited Lenore Alexander to appear on her show. Lenore is advicatibg for the passage of Leah’s Law and the mother of Leah, who tragically died in a series of avoidable medical errors following surgery. Continue reading “Leah’s Law and Katie Couric Show on Shocking Medical Mistakes”
Recent Death of 17-Year Old From Unmonitored Tonsillectomy Should Never Have Happened
In Willow Grove, PA, 17-year old Mariah Edwards went into a surgical center to remove her tonsils and died.
ABC News recently reported that the outpatient tonsillectomy was a success. Following the procedure she was moved to a recovery room. In the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Edwards family, it provides that nurses administered a dose of the painkiller fentanyl, a potent, synthetic narcotic analgesic with a rapid onset and short duration of action. Continue reading “Recent Death of 17-Year Old From Unmonitored Tonsillectomy Should Never Have Happened”