Heidi Cross

Content from this Writer

September 27th, 2022

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Given the potential consequences of FTT, recognition and diagnosis of this phenomenon are important components of care in older adults. Regardless of status, health care providers should implement and document all appropriate measures within...

August 19th, 2022

Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

In medical malpractice litigation, a thorough review of the medical chart is done to determine whether the facility or health care provider “met the standards of care” related to the medical issues at hand in the complaint. Attorneys hire...

August 11th, 2022

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

The United States is one of the most litigious nations in the world, with the result that numerous medical malpractice lawsuits are initiated against hospitals and other health care facilities, as well as practitioners. Commonly, these...

April 8th, 2022

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

As detailed in my last few blogs, nutrition plays a huge role in risk for skin breakdown as well as healing of wounds. Just about ALL wound litigation involves nutrition in one way or another, be it diabetes control (or lack thereof) or...

January 12th, 2022

by Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

The following is a wrap up of the 2019 pressure injury guidelines of the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel (NPIAP)1 related to nutrition, of which there are 15. For guidelines #1 to #10, see my last few blogs (Parts...

April 1st, 2021

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Since the advent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), I haven’t done much flying, but I love travel and I love flying. One of my favorite experiences is a window seat at about 30,000 feet on a clear sunny day. The views can be spectacular...

Nutrition Management
September 24th, 2020

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

"Defendants failed to provide adequate nutrition to prevent plaintiff from suffering severe malnutrition and weight loss. This allowed the development of a severe pressure ulcer, numerous infections, and dehydration and malnutrition. Had...

August 20th, 2020

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

In the previous blog, I briefly went through the standards of care when it comes to nutrition and pressure injury (PI) prevention and development and discussed what a large role nutrition plays in PI litigation. Here are several instances:...

August 5th, 2020

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Pressure injury risk and development are multifactorial, individualized processes. Each patient presents with a unique set of circumstances and needs. In looking at charts for attorneys to determine whether standards of care related to...

End of life wounds
January 23rd, 2020

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." – Charles Dicken

When Charles Dickens wrote this introduction to his Victorian-era novel, A Tale of Two Cities, his novel was aimed at the brewing French Revolution, but he could...

End of Life Skin
October 3rd, 2019

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Ms. EB, a frail 82-year-old woman admitted to a long-term care facility, had a complex medical history that included diabetes, extensive heart disease, ischemic strokes with left-sided weakness and dysphagia, dementia, kidney disease, anemia...

Pain and Suffering Documentation
July 30th, 2019

Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

"Me and Jenny goes together like peas and carrots." – Forrest Gump

Just like Forrest's peas and carrots, a pressure ulcer lawsuit and a pain and suffering allegation inevitably "goes together." For good reason, because pain is...

Chronic Wounds
May 20th, 2019

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

In my recent WoundSource webinar, I discussed the topic of chronic wound etiology and management. The webinar is still available for viewing on WoundSource.com. Chronic wounds are vexing and frustrating to manage; they can be...

Unavoidable Pressure Ulcers
May 9th, 2019

By Heidi Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

"At all times material hereto, defendant failed to develop an adequate care plan and properly monitor and supervise the care and treatment in order to prevent her from suffering the development and deterioration of bed sores."

Risk Factors for Unavoidable Ulcers
April 9th, 2019

by Heidi H. Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, more than 17,000 lawsuits related to pressure ulcers (PUs) are filed annually in the United States, second only to wrongful death lawsuits. One of the greatest gifts to defense...

Skin Changes at Life's End
January 31st, 2019

by Heidi H. Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

"If a patient is cold, if a patient is feverish, if a patient is faint, if he is sick after taking food, if he has a bed sore, it is generally the fault not of the disease, but of the nursing." —Florence Nightingale...

Risk Assessment
January 2nd, 2019

by Heidi H. Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

When looking at medical charts from a legal perspective, one of the areas closely scrutinized is the risk assessment for skin breakdown and pressure ulcer development. Completing a risk assessment is considered a standard of care. Was the...

Turning and Positioning
November 29th, 2018

by Heidi H. Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Failure to T&P (turn and position) is always part and parcel of a pressure ulcer lawsuit and a key element of a complaint related to pressure ulcers, as illustrated in the opening quotation. T&P documentation is a dominant focus in...

Legal Issues
November 1st, 2018

by Heidi H. Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Part 2 in a multi-part series looking at the basics of avoiding litigation as a health care provider. Read Part 1...

Legal Issues
October 17th, 2018

by Heidi H. Cross, MSN, RN, FNP-BC, CWON

Part 1 in a multi-part series looking at the basics of avoiding litigation as a health care provider.