Jun 18, 2024
Choose Your Most Important Quality Measure, Examine for Equity, and Begin
Guest author Mark D. Smith, MD, MBA, considers the connections between equity and high-quality care and offers strategies for prioritizing efforts.
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The Doctor’s Advocate
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Informed Consent Sample Forms
Customize our informed consent sample forms to your practice and your patients.
Sep 01, 2023
AI Can Lift Administrative Burdens and Restore Joy in Practice
Aaron Neinstein, MD, explores artificial intelligence technologies that can streamline mundane administrative tasks and give clinicians more time to focus on patients.
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The Doctor’s Advocate
Americans with Disabilities Act: Frequently Asked Questions
Practitioners can face steep penalties for failing to comply with federal mandates that protect individuals with disabilities.
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.
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
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.
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.
Midwives, When Do You Escalate? 5 Strategies for Collaboration, Comanagement, and Referral
One of the greatest sources of liability for midwives is delays in escalating care. By laying the groundwork for care escalation in advance, all practitioners and practices can promote patient safety while mitigating their own liability risks.
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.
