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Professional Education
Loss Lessons: Practicing Out of Bounds
Unlicensed staff are vital to efficient patient flow in medical practice. Healthcare organizations have many tasks that are safely and effectively carried out by skilled unlicensed support staff every day. To reach such efficiencies with safety and reliability, careful attention must be given to scope of practice and state and local statutes regarding delegation and supervision. Policies and protocols that outline the scope of practice for unlicensed staff to follow independently, and when they must consult with licensed staff, help even the most talented of your staff understand their boundaries. This case illustrates how informal verbal guidelines can blur the lines and cause well-meaning staff to cross the boundary lines of their scope leading to misdiagnosis and death. 0.25 credits

Professional Education
Module 4: Recognition, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Substance Use Disorder (Innovations and Smart Approaches in Safe Prescribing)
Learn several new concepts and innovation tips. Learn about the new CDC Guidelines about pain. This program will show how to treat pain, opioid withdrawal, and/or opioid addiction. It will show how to taper opioids and you will learn how to conduct “motivational interviewing.” You will be shown strategies for recognizing substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). Refamiliarize yourself with screening for fentanyl. Provide valuable pharmacological and nonpharmacological resources to connect patients to treatment for addiction. Discuss individualized treatment plans that are tailored to specific patient needs when treating OUD. This module consists of four audio-filled videos. To successfully complete this course, you need to achieve a passing score of 80 percent in the post-test questions.

Professional Education
Delayed Diagnosis of Sepsis (Claims Corner CME)
In reviewing closed malpractice claims, The Doctors Company has identified delayed diagnosis and treatment of sepsis as a serious problem that can result in significant morbidity and mortality. This article highlights the importance of timely recognition of symptoms that point to a diagnosis of sepsis, and the need for quick initiation of treatment. Factors contributing to the delayed diagnosis and treatment of sepsis are discussed, including clinical judgment errors such as failure to note the importance of significant clinical symptoms, failure to seriously consider sepsis as high on the differential diagnosis, failure to use a sepsis recognition tool as an adjunct to the exam, failure to order appropriate tests to rule out sepsis before assuming another diagnosis, and failure to admit the patient to the hospital for treatment.

Feb 03, 2023
Pediatrics: Lessons in Preventing Button Battery Injuries
Patti L. Ellis, RN, CPHRM, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, The Doctors Company
It is critical for clinicians to minimize misdiagnosis and delays in care and treatment of pediatric button battery ingestions, exposures, and insertions.

Jun 05, 2023
Industry and Company News
Announcements in the fourth quarter of 2022 include our AM Best ‘A’ (Excellent) Financial Rating, new Leading Voices in Healthcare resources, and a new article exploring technology-enabled healthcare.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Member Benefits for the American Academy of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery
The American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery sponsors The Doctors Company. AAO-HNS members receive unique benefits, including exclusive program discounts and credits.

Sep 19, 2022
Industry and Company News
Announcements during the third quarter of 2022 include a new board appointment plus a new product.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Mar 07, 2023
Primary Care Innovations Can Deepen the Specialty
Megan Mahoney, MD, MBA, Professor and Chair, UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine and Member, The Doctors Company Board of Governors
Dr. Megan Mahoney outlines ways that team-focused innovations in care models and technologies can help preserve depth in primary care, even as it faces a physician shortage.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Apr 01, 2022
Analysis of Cerebrovascular Accidents and Malpractice Claims
Shelley Rizzo, MSN, CPHRM, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company
Because cerebrovascular accidents can happen at any time and in any location, it is imperative that all members of the healthcare team are able to recognize and respond to symptoms in a timely manner.

Jun 18, 2021
Study of Emergency Department Diagnosis Case Type Malpractice Claims: Abstract
Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management
A study of diagnosis-type closed medical malpractice claims from care that occurred in the ED from 2014 through the second quarter of 2019 using closed coded claims from The Doctors Company.