Personal Injury Law

Nevada Legislators Propose Tougher Health Care Regulations

By Steve Klearman

A year after procedures involving the reuse of syringes at the Endoscopy Center of Nevada led to a hepatitis C outbreak, Nevada legislators have proposed new regulations to require higher standards in Nevada health care.

The Las Vegas Sun reports that the pending legislation would:

• Require outpatient surgery centers like the one that caused the outbreak to obtain accreditation by a nationally recognized organization.

• Require physicians and their related businesses and centers to obtain accreditation before providing certain services involving anesthesia and sedation.

• Allow public agencies to investigate suspected infectious disease problems and to issue cease and desist orders if necessary.

• Ban retaliation and discrimination against nurses who report unsafe medical practices.

• Sanction medical facilities that fail to report 'sentinel events' — those unexpected occurrences involving death or serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk of such outcomes.

Full post as published by Reno Personal Injury Lawyer on March 02, 2009 (boomark / email).