Patient Care

The conflict between Raymond Jackson and Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital illustrates some of the emotional issues that hospitals face as families take a more aggressive role in patient care, medical ethicists say."Part of good health care is having family involved in the care," said James Nelson of the Hastings Center, an independent, nonprofit research and educational organization in New York that examines ethical issues in medical and life sciences.But when a family's demands absorb an inordinate amount of staff time, "then it's reasonable to find some alternatives," he said.

At the ding of a cowbell Sunday, staffers in a command center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital began clapping and yelling out victory cheers. Another department had begun to transfer patients as part of a massive move from Hopkins' aging hospital building to a towering $1.1 billion facility next door. The complicated process, which centered on the delicate task of relocating sick patients, was running according to plan. The official opening Tuesday of the two 12-story towers will mark the final step in the largest hospital project in Maryland history.

The state agency that licenses doctors may discipline physicians only when their conduct is linked to the diagnosis and care of patients, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals has ruled.The court reversed two of three 1994 findings of misconduct against Lester H. Banks, a Carroll County doctor, by the Board of Physician Quality Assurance. Those findings were upheld last year by the Carroll County Circuit Court.But the state's second-highest court affirmed a finding of sexual harassment against the Westminster physician, based on one woman's complaints.

Good Samaritan Hospital agreed to pay $793,548 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to federal health benefit programs for four years ending in December 2008, federal Department of Justice officials reported Wednesday. The hospital denied any wrongdoing, but federal officials say the MedStar Health System hospital listed some patients admitted to the hospital as suffering from malnutrition when they were not diagnosed or treated for that condition. It was marked as a secondary condition in each case.

About 60 newly hired nurse's aides are taking over some duties once handled by much more highly trained registered nurses at Howard County General Hospital, and some nurses say patient care is being sacrificed to save money.The hiring of the nurse's aides -- called patient care technicians (PCTs) -- has alarmed some of the hospital's more than 400 registered nurses, who say the aides are not adequately trained to monitor patients."The patients are getting substandard care," said a nurse at Howard County General who asked not to be identified for fear of retribution.

After more than a quarter-century with little attention from the government, the quality of kidney dialysis in the United States is receiving scrutiny from the Clinton administration and Congress.The administration is preparing proposals to establish quality requirements for dialysis, a life-saving treatment for patients whose kidneys have failed.The proposals, which could be ready by March, would define such things as the results that must be achieved in certain blood tests indicating the quality of dialysis.

State and national health care officials began looking into patient care at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville yesterday in connection with allegations that a nurse there might have contributed to the deaths of one or more patients. The Maryland Office of Healthcare Quality and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations spent the day touring the hospital, examining patient charts and interviewing employees and patients about the hospital's delivery of services.

As part of cutbacks at University of Maryland Medical System, the vaunted Maryland Shock Trauma Center is closing one 20-bed unit.John W. Ashworth III, director of the Shock Trauma Center, said the closing was a response to empty beds, as patients are discharged more quickly. The closing will mean a staff reduction in Shock Trauma of 66. Of those, half are nurses, aides and technicians, a reduction of 10 percent in direct patient care staff. The other half are in administration and support such as billing and information systems, a cut of 18.5 percent.

At the ding of a cowbell Sunday, staffers in a command center at the Johns Hopkins Hospital began clapping and yelling out victory cheers. Another department had begun to transfer patients as part of a massive move from Hopkins' aging hospital building to a towering $1.1 billion facility next door. The complicated process, which centered on the delicate task of relocating sick patients, was running according to plan. The official opening Tuesday of the two 12-story towers will mark the final step in the largest hospital project in Maryland history.

Good Samaritan Hospital agreed to pay $793,548 to settle allegations that it submitted false claims to federal health benefit programs for four years ending in December 2008, federal Department of Justice officials reported Wednesday. The hospital denied any wrongdoing, but federal officials say the MedStar Health System hospital listed some patients admitted to the hospital as suffering from malnutrition when they were not diagnosed or treated for that condition. It was marked as a secondary condition in each case.

Maxine Reed-Vance, of Belcamp, director of clinical affairs and causality assurance for Baltimore Healthy Start Inc., has been selected for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Innovation Advisors Program. Vance was selected through a competitive process and is one of 73 selected from a field of more than 900 applicants nationwide. The initiative, launched by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Innovations Center in 2011, will assist health care professionals deepen skills that will drive improvements to patient care and reduce cost.

St. Joseph Medical Center plans to cut 17 positions at the troubled Towson hospital as part of a "performance improvement initiative. " Hospital officials said in a statement that the "effort requires that we make some difficult but necessary staffing decisions. " The statement also says, "St. Joseph must respond to the changing times and in doing so is charting its course for the future. Good stewardship requires that we continually monitor all variables and make the best decisions possible to maintain efficiencies and provide quality patient care.

Johns Hopkins plans to use a $10 million gift to launch an institute for patient safety, aiming to reduce medical mistakes that have long troubled health care facilities around the nation. The Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality will conduct research and develop methods for use at Hopkins and other hospitals around the globe that could prevent infections, misdiagnoses, improper treatments and other errors. It may be the first of its kind in the country, Hopkins and patient advocates say. "Fewer things are more important in health care right now than improving patient safety and the quality of health care," Dr. Edward D. Miller, dean and chief executive of Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in a statement.

This past week, St. Joseph Medical Center settled with the federal government all potential claims arising out of the its past financial relationship with MidAtlantic Cardiovascular Associates and certain stent procedures performed by a single physician. Much has changed at St. Joseph in the 21/2 years since the government's investigation began. We've enhanced physician peer review, revised the physician contract review and approval process, and strengthened our quality management program.

Dr. Haskins Kazunori "Chuck" Kashima, a noted Baltimore otolaryngologist who was a world leader in the treatment of laryngeal disease, died Thursday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Heart Homes Assisted Living in Lutherville. He was 78. "Chuck had an international reputation in laryngeal matters and surgery. He was also an expert on the human papilloma virus and its effect on the larynx," said Dr. Charles W. Cummings, former chairman of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's department of otolaryngology — head and neck surgery.

After more than a year of deliberation, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced its final rule on the "meaningful use" of health information technology, effectively opening the door for physicians and hospitals to receive more than $18 billion in incentives set aside in last year's massive economic stimulus bill. This is a laudable example of federal recovery spending being matched with a public policy goal that, as of yet, hasn't been achieved by the private sector and market forces: transforming our nation's costly and often inefficient health care delivery system through the widespread adoption of new technology.

Dr. Haskins Kazunori "Chuck" Kashima, a noted Baltimore otolaryngologist who was a world leader in the treatment of laryngeal disease, died Thursday of complications from Alzheimer's disease at Heart Homes Assisted Living in Lutherville. He was 78. "Chuck had an international reputation in laryngeal matters and surgery. He was also an expert on the human papilloma virus and its effect on the larynx," said Dr. Charles W. Cummings, former chairman of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's department of otolaryngology — head and neck surgery.

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has received a $20 million donation for pancreas cancer research and patient care, the largest donation for such research in its history. The award came from Albert P. "Skip" Viragh Jr., founder of Rockville-based Rydex Investment, a mutual fund investment company. Viragh, who died of the disease at 62, was a Hopkins patient. The money will fund the existing laboratory, expand clinical programs and contribute to new research at the newly named Skip Viragh Center for Pancreas Cancer Clinical Research and Patient Care.

Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center has received a $20 million donation for pancreas cancer research and patient care, the largest donation for such research in its history. The award came from Albert P. "Skip" Viragh Jr., founder of Rockville-based Rydex Investment, a mutual fund investment company. Viragh, who died of the disease at 62, was a Hopkins patient. The money will fund the existing laboratory, expand clinical programs and contribute to new research at the newly named Skip Viragh Center for Pancreas Cancer Clinical Research and Patient Care.