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.
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Dispensing Sample Medications: Risk Management Strategies
If not carefully managed, sample medications can create issues that place patients and the practice at risk.
Preparing a Facility for Maternal Health Emergencies
This case study highlights risk reduction strategies facilities can use to prepare for and address maternal health emergencies.
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.
Jun 05, 2025
Risk Self-Assessment Programs Help Members Improve Practice Safety
As a member of the nation's largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, you have access to unique, industry-leading resources and benefits. This quarter, we're proud to feature our members-only risk self-assessment programs.
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The Doctor’s Advocate
Professional Education
Prevention of Medical Errors 2024 to 2026 (National)
Few medical errors are attributed to faulty medical judgment. More commonly, they are attributed to system failures inherent in healthcare delivery. By drawing on our professional liability closed claims data, we have identified common performance and diagnostic errors. We analyzed loss prevention measures in tandem with the elements necessary to conduct a credible and thorough root cause analysis to reduce system failures, respond to sentinel events, prevent medical errors, and improve patient safety. The purpose of this program is to provide clinicians with the most current information regarding the prevention of common performance and diagnostic errors.
Pediatrics: Consider Car Window Hammers
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.
Dec 09, 2022
Training Shortages Post-Roe
The short-term disruptions faced by many medical professionals in the wake of the Dobbs decision, which overturned Roe v. Wade, have partially obscured a looming crisis in access to training.
