Defective Medical Devices to Be Under Inspection Scrutiny

 Posted on March 04, 2014 in Defective Medical Devices

The federal government's Office of the Inspector General has released their 2014 work plan, and medical device scrutiny features heavily in the goals of the organization. The work plan details all of the hospital-related practices and policies, including quality of care, billing and payments, emergency preparedness, and medical device security. The government has taken a larger role recently in oversight on medical devices after previous research has shown some possible major security holes.

The Office of the Inspector General plans to evaluate Medicare claims to analyze the costs of defective medical devices, linking issues to the impact on the Medicare Trust Fund. Government agencies have previously raised concerns about replacement device costs on Medicare payments.

Portable devices, too, are an issue when it comes to security, since protected electronic health information is often stored inside these machines. Security controls will be explored and loss prevention tactics evaluated to determine how much of an exposure risk patients could face.

As more healthcare management tools become electronic or portable, the government is likely to continue thinking about additional oversight plans. Electronic health records, for example, are often networked with medication dispensing systems and dialysis machines.

The Office of the Inspector General plans to examine how strong the security in these networks is to identify the possible risk of breach. A medical device could become defective and indeed harmful to its patient if electronic medical information is stolen, or if remote operation could be achieved through hacking. The patients depending on these medical devices for their care might be unaware of the potential risks, putting patients in need in a dangerous situation.

If you or someone you know has already been injured as a result of a defective medical device, you need someone who will advocate for you and your rights. Contact a Chicago defective medical device attorney today.