|
|
Article: Never say "never": ClearCount Medical Solution's SmartSponge System is the first FDA-cleared RFID product to both count and detect sponges during surgery--and its design is almost completely driven by the user.(MEDICAL: Engineering Answers)
- Article from:
- Product Design & Development
- Article date:
- May 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Advantage Business Media. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
"Never event"--a term defined by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as preventable injuries and infections in patients that occur during hospital stays and, as of October 2008, incidents for which CMS and a number of private insurers no longer reimburse hospitals.
Retained foreign objects are the most frequent of the surgical 'never events,' and one of the most costly. According to the Federal Register, the average Medicare payment for admissions in which an object is left behind in surgery is $61,962. Not only is the hospital responsible for all re-operation costs, but it can also expect to pay anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000 of more in ...