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May 02, 2025, Inside Medical Liability Online
MPL Case: Could This Medication Error Occur in Your Practice?
Medication errors and patient falls present marked risks for oncology patients and practices. These types of adverse events, when they occur, are especially likely to result in malpractice claims with paid indemnities. Experts from The Doctors Company discuss how attention to systems factors such as practice policies and protocols, supported by staff training in adherence and implementation, can help protect patients from harm and practices from liability.

Dec 17, 2024
Disaster Preparedness for Your Office Practice
Julie Brightwell, JD, RN, Director, Patient Safety, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
Natural disasters can occur suddenly and without warning, highlighting the importance of advance preparation. Make sure your practice has a plan in place.

Professional Education
Preventing Errors in Preoperative Clearance (Claims Corner)
Primary care providers (PCPs) routinely manage complex elderly patients with multiple comorbidities who require elective surgery. Errors can occur when providers are rushed, there is a lack of effective interoffice communication, and the patient has a low health literacy. Communication and care coordination issues are commonly noted among PCPs and consulting specialists. The Doctors Company has analyzed closed claims where PCPs have been held responsible for failures in surgical mismanagement, specifically preop clearance. This program will highlight the contributing factors identified in malpractice claims involving medical clearance and provide practice strategies for reducing liability risk.

Professional Education
Preventing Dictation Errors for Advanced Practice Clinicians
Emergency medicine providers are increasingly using voice recognition programs, such as Dragon Direct Voice Recognition Program, to document encounters. In reviewing closed malpractice claims, The Doctors Company identified dictation errors as a significant patient safety risk factor. The following case highlights the importance of timely recognition of dictation errors to ensure accuracy of the permanent electronic health record (EHR). This is particularly important when using a voice recognition program to document encounters in the busy emergency department. In this case, the voice recognition system was Dragon Direct Voice Recognition Program.

Professional Education
Reducing the Risk of a Malpractice Claim
This enduring program is designed to assist physicians, dentists, and advanced practice clinicians, improve patient safety by providing information on how to implement a root cause analysis (RCA2) when a near-miss, or injury has been identified. Real cases serve as examples of how sustainable change can minimize human and environmental factors while decreasing system failures and reducing the risk of a malpractice claim.

Professional Education
Loss Lessons: Recognition of Wernicke Encephalopathy
Wernicke encephalopathy (WE) is a syndrome commonly seen in patients with alcohol use disorder who do not take adequate thiamine. WE should be suspected in any patient with conditions that may lead to malnutrition in combination with any of the following symptoms: altered mental status ophthalmoplegia, ataxia, delirium, and hypotension. Considered a medical emergency, it must be reversed to prevent permanent deficits. This case illustrates a cascade of errors which led to permanent disability. Some practical interventions to quickly recognize and reverse the condition are offered following the case presentation, which will be helpful for gastroenterology/gastroenterologists, ophthalmology/ophthalmologists, and neurology/neurologists.

Feb 07, 2025
Dental Risk Self-Assessment: Exclusively for Members
The Doctors Company’s online Dental Risk Self-Assessment exclusively for members can identify hidden liability risks in your dental practice. Regardless of the size of your practice or whether you are a general practitioner or a dental specialist, this easy-to-navigate self-assessment will guide you through common pitfalls in dental practices and provide you with risk management resources and strategies to prevent adverse outcomes and patient harm.

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