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Mar 07, 2025
Foundation Accepting Letters of Intent for 2025 Grants
The Doctors Company Foundation is currently accepting Letters of Intent for its 2025 grant cycle. Letters of Intent will be accepted through the end of business on Wednesday, March 19, 2025.
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The Doctor’s Advocate
Maternal Health Closed Claim Review: Preparing a Facility for Emergencies
This case study highlights risk reduction strategies facilities can use to prepare for and address maternal health emergencies.
Identifying Malpractice Risks for Surgical Practices
Understanding that the causes of claims are multifactorial and rarely result from individual judgment or technical skill alone can help surgeons improve outcomes.
Dispensing Sample Medications: Risk Management Strategies
If not carefully managed, sample medications can create issues that place patients and the practice at risk.
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.
Pediatrics: Consider Car Window Hammers for Your Office Emergency Response Kit
Seconds count if an infant, toddler, or young child is accidentally locked inside a hot vehicle. A car window hammer can be a lifesaving tool to include in an emergency response cart or kit.
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.
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.