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Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Malpractice Claims: Lessons Learned
We analyzed closed physical medicine and rehabilitation claims to better understand what motivates allegations of injury.

Terminating Patient Relationships
If it becomes necessary to end a patient relationship, it is critical to end the relationship in a manner that will not lead to claims of discrimination or abandonment, litigation for alleged professional negligence, or complaints to administrative agencies.

Podiatry: Lessons from Malpractice Claims
We analyzed 162 podiatric claims to identify top allegations and factors contributing to patient injury.

Before COVID-19, Outlier Medical Malpractice Verdicts Were Rising—What’s Next?
Severity—the average cost of a medical malpractice claim—continues its relentless increase. Though severity has been rising since at least the 1970s, in recent years we have seen a sharp increase in outlier verdicts, which exceed common policy limits and often set records for their venues. Before the pandemic, nearly all states had seen these extraordinarily large awards, but whether the pace of these awards will be affected by the pandemic is unknown. Some U.S. states have adopted limited liability protections for physicians during COVID-19, but those protections may be tested in the courts.

Quick Check: Dissatisfied Patient Management
Our Quick Check tool can help you improve how your practice identifies and manages dissatisfied patients.

Reduce Patient Safety Risks With Vaccinations
Take time to assess the vaccine administration protocols in your practice.

Jun 18, 2024
Telehealth Visits: Strategies for Minimizing Patient Distraction
Sue Boisvert, BSN, MHSA, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company
Patients who are distracted during telehealth visits can affect a practitioner’s ability to establish rapport and provide safe, effective treatment.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Professional Education
Missed Medical History Leads to Adverse Outcome (Claims Corner)
The Doctors Company has identified patient assessment issues and communication failure between providers as key contributors to malpractice claims. This dental case study describes how inadequate patient history taking and poor communication can lead to an adverse patient outcome. The lessons learned in this course are applicable to all healthcare professionals.

Professional Education
Risk Management 101 for Healthcare Professionals: Malpractice, Patient Relations, and Documentation
This is an introductory level course about basic risk management for practicing clinicians focusing on malpractice, patient communication, and documentation. Healthcare professionals new to practice and more experienced will learn the legal elements of a malpractice claim that must be proven for a plaintiff to prevail. We share communication strategies to enhance patient understanding, compliance, and satisfaction while reducing the risk of abandonment when ending patient relationships. We address the importance of documentation, share open notes strategies for success, and strategies to demonstrate quality of care and reduce risk. Documentation examples are provided, as are tips for electronic health record (EHR) and telehealth documentation.

Jun 18, 2024
New and Improved Learning Platform for Industry-Leading Accredited Education
The Doctors Company has launched a new and improved learning platform for our industry-leading accredited education for physicians, dentists, and nurses.
From The Doctor’s Advocate