General Surgery Resources

Jan 29, 2025, ACS Practice Management
Lessons Learned from a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit: Aortic Surgery in a Patient with Significant Underlying Coronary Disease
David Han, MD, FACS, and Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group, discuss the complications and critical decision-making errors in a case of aortic surgery on a patient with severe coronary disease. The article emphasizes the importance of thorough preoperative evaluation and considering all surgical options to manage complications effectively.

Aug 27, 2024
Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Transport of Blood Products in Mass Casualty Incidents
Brent Lee, MD, MPH, FASA, Director of Clinical Excellence and Performance Improvement, North American Partners in Anesthesia
Dr. Brent Lee discusses innovations in treating mass casualty incident injuries, including using unmanned aerial vehicles to transport blood products and lifesaving equipment.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Feb 21, 2024
Identifying Malpractice Risks for Surgical Practices
Julie Brightwell, JD, RN, Director, Healthcare Systems Patient Safety, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
Understanding that the causes of claims are multifactorial and rarely result from individual judgment or technical skill alone can help surgeons improve outcomes.

Jan 03, 2024
Healthcare Practitioners and On-Call Duties: Top Questions on Liability Risks
Richard F. Cahill, JD, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, The Doctors Company
Our experts respond to questions about medical staff bylaws and on-call service requirements.

Dec 31, 2023, American College of Surgeons
Lessons Learned from a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit: Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy Complication
In collaboration with the American College of Surgeons, we analyze a closed malpractice case involving laparoscopic cholecystectomy, examining factors behind the adverse event and strategies to prevent future risk.

Dec 11, 2023, American College of Surgeons
Lessons Learned from a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit: Thyroid Surgery Complication
In collaboration with the American College of Surgeons, we analyze a closed malpractice case involving thyroid surgery, examining factors behind the adverse event and strategies to prevent future risk.

Professional Education
Post-Surgical Management of Antiphospholipid Syndrome Leads to Adverse Outcome (Claims Corner CME)
Clinical judgement involves a clinician’s utilization of objective and subjective information to arrive at treatment decisions. The way providers process or interpret information, or cognitive bias, can also impact clinical judgment. This program presents a case study that reveals multiple factors which contributed to the patient’s adverse outcome or injury. After reviewing the case details, we will highlight three of those contributing factors that influenced the case.
0.5 credit

Oct 24, 2022
Why Medical Clearance Is Really a Preoperative Evaluation
Debra Davidson, MJ, CPHRM, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company, and David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, The Doctors Company and TDC Group; Senior Vice President, Healthcare Risk Advisors
The goals of the preoperative evaluation are to determine the patient's level of risk and to identify opportunities to mitigate it.

Oct 18, 2022
Moderate or Conscious Sedation in the Office Setting
Julie Brightwell, JD, RN, Director, Healthcare System Patient Safety, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management
Prevent patient injury when providing moderate sedation in the office by incorporating these patient safety and practice improvement strategies.

Oct 04, 2022
Mapping the Perioperative Claims Experience of General Surgeons
Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD; Kim Hathaway, RN, MSN; Melissa Nelson, RN, BSN; Kathrine Soulsby, RN, BSN; Angela Jordan, RN, MHSc
About 63 percent of general surgeons have been involved in a medical malpractice suit. Understanding the most common types of complications and the factors that contribute to errors may provide insights for general surgeons about their practice.

Oct 20, 2021
Diagnostic Error in General Surgery: Cognitive Bias and Systems Issues in Medical Malpractice Claims (Abstract)
Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management
Although claims against general surgeons primarily allege technical surgical-type errors, diagnostic error is the second most frequent allegation against or case type for general surgeons. Analysis of malpractice claims can elucidate the causes of and solutions to diagnostic errors. This study considers differences between diagnostic errors, both cognitive and systemic, committed by general surgeons in the inpatient vs. the outpatient setting.

Aug 25, 2020
Distracting Devices in Healthcare: Malpractice Implications
Shelley Rizzo, MSN, CPHRM, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company
Digital distraction in healthcare is a threat to patient safety and physician well-being. Personal electronic devices can create a digital distraction so engaging that it consumes awareness, potentially preventing healthcare providers from focusing on the primary task at hand—caring for and interacting with patients.

Aug 27, 2019
Electronic Health Records Continue to Lead to Medical Malpractice Suits
Darrell Ranum, JD, Vice President of Patient Safety and Risk Management
We analyzed 216 medical malpractice claims that closed from 2010 to 2018 in which EHRs contributed to patient injury. The pace of these claims grew, from a low of seven cases in 2010 to an average of 22.5 cases per year in 2017 and 2018. As EHRs approach near-universal adoption, they may become a more prevalent source of patient safety risk.

Mar 20, 2019
Study of Malpractice Claims Involving Children
Darrell Ranum, JD, CPHRM, Vice President, Patient Safety and Risk Management
The Doctors Company analyzed 1,215 claims filed on behalf of pediatric patients that closed from 2008 through 2017. The study is based on the claims filed against physicians in 52 specialties and subspecialties and includes an overview of the most common types of claims, expert insights into the specific elements that led to patient injury, and risk mitigation strategies.