Surgeon removes kidney from the wrong patient

[spaminator]

Surgeon removes kidney from the wrong patient
The Associated Press
First posted: Friday, October 14, 2016 09:28 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 14, 2016 09:41 AM EDT
WORCESTER, Mass. — An investigation has found that a surgeon at a Massachusetts hospital removed a kidney from the wrong patient after failing to confirm the patient’s identity.
State and federal health investigators say the surgeon in July was supposed to remove a kidney with a tumour from a patient at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, but instead removed a healthy kidney from a different patient with the same name.
Authorities say the hospital failed to follow proper patient identification protocols by checking birth dates. The patients were several years apart in age.
St. Vincent has been put on notice that its Medicare and Medicaid agreements with the government will be terminated unless it takes corrective action.
The hospital in a statement said it is taking “all necessary steps” to prevent a similar error.
Surgeon removes kidney from the wrong patient | World | News | Toronto Sun

 

[Walter]

Schit happens.

 

[taxslave]

Where is the ambulance chaser? I smell a lawsuit with big numbers.

 

[MHz]

A few lawsuits as I assume the one that got is got an organ that will be rejected.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Thanks, Obama.

 

[Curious Cdn]

I happen to be in the midst of a serious and massive kidney stone attack that kept me from going to work. yesterday (almost nothing does that).

Thanks for this.

 

[Machjo]

Surgeon removes kidney from the wrong patient
The Associated Press
First posted: Friday, October 14, 2016 09:28 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, October 14, 2016 09:41 AM EDT
WORCESTER, Mass. — An investigation has found that a surgeon at a Massachusetts hospital removed a kidney from the wrong patient after failing to confirm the patient’s identity.
State and federal health investigators say the surgeon in July was supposed to remove a kidney with a tumour from a patient at St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester, but instead removed a healthy kidney from a different patient with the same name.
Authorities say the hospital failed to follow proper patient identification protocols by checking birth dates. The patients were several years apart in age.
St. Vincent has been put on notice that its Medicare and Medicaid agreements with the government will be terminated unless it takes corrective action.
The hospital in a statement said it is taking “all necessary steps” to prevent a similar error.
Surgeon removes kidney from the wrong patient | World | News | Toronto Sun

What amateurs! So if the name is the same, they distinguish by birthdate? What if the birthdate is the same too? Wouldn't a truly professional institution assign a unique identity number to each patient so as to guarantee that each patient has his own unique identity number?

 

[Johnnny]

You have to be kidney me.... lol

 

[MHz]

Perhaps a tattoo or a bar-code would solve the errors. I wonder why that idea never cropped up yet.

 

[Machjo]

Perhaps a tattoo or a bar-code would solve the errors. I wonder why that idea never cropped up yet.

They could probably burn a barcode into his forehead in seconds.

Then the physician would just need to scan his forehead with a regular supermarket checkout scanner.