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Fourth Quarter 2008 |
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Get a Complimentary Copy of ASHRM’s Risk Management Pearls
ASHRM’s Risk Management Pearls To Enhance Communication in Healthcare Settings is a booklet for busy health care professionals that addresses breakdowns in communication and related processes in acute care, psychiatric, outpatient surgical clinics, emergency departments, intensive care units, physician offices, and long-term/continuing care facilities.
Using scenarios that practitioners face every day, the booklet provides practical tips and strategies to address critical situations, including medication reconciliation, disclosure of an adverse event, and communication of critical lab and test results.
Robin Diamond, MSN, JD, RN, CPHRM, senior vice president of The Doctors Company’s Patient Safety Department, was a major contributor to this publication and served as its Task Force Chair.
The first 500 members who contact Patient Safety will qualify for a complimentary copy of the booklet. To receive your copy, please call (800) 421-2368, extension 1243, or e-mail us at patientsafety@thedoctors.com.
Our New Litigation Education Retreat Program
As part of our commitment to providing the industry’s most aggressive defense, we have launched a no-cost nationwide litigation education retreat program for member physicians who are confronted by medical litigation.
Member physicians will learn constructive ways to cope with malpractice stress, understand the legal process, and prepare testimony from a strategic perspective during the litigation education retreats. Physicians will also receive psychological support, an explanation of the litigation process, help with testimony preparation, and mock deposition practice with top industry experts.
“Our experience has proven that including the physician as an active participant throughout the litigation process is not only beneficial in mounting the most effective defense, but it may also help the physician in dealing with the emotional aspects of a claim,” said Paula Jenkins, senior vice president of Claims for The Doctors Company.
Tribute Plan Update
Our innovative Tribute Plan program rewards members for their continuing loyalty to The Doctors Company and for their commitment to providing outstanding patient care.
Since the plan’s inception in 2007, we have distributed career awards to 291 qualifying members.
Beginning with renewals on January 1, 2009, we are expanding Tribute participation to include physicians insured by SCPIE Insurance and Northwest Physicians Insurance Company who convert their policies to The Doctors Company.
To review your personal award balance at any time or to learn more about the Tribute Plan, go to www.thedoctors.com/tribute.
Insights from Our Southern California Physician Advisory Board
Our Southern California Physician Advisory Board recently partnered with the San Diego County Medical Society (SDCMS) Medical Review and Advisory Committee to exchange ideas and analyze claims.
Physicians practicing in a variety of specialties reviewed three cases, most notably a claim involving orthopedic surgery with complications and a poor outcome. The panel determined that although the surgery was performed correctly, it was done by our insured’s partner, rather than our insured orthopedist—without the patient’s prior knowledge or consent—and the scope of the surgery may have exceeded the patient’s expectations. The panel also determined that the patient’s condition was predominantly the result of the original injury.
Based on the panel’s observations, we obtained additional reviews by trial experts. The reviews supported the physicians’ observations and ultimately resulted in a fair compromise settlement that potentially saved hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Our professional liability program has been endorsed by SDCMS since 2005. This meeting is just one example of how we’re working together to identify and resolve critical issues for physicians that help advance the practice of good medicine.
Building on the Success of Our Legal Summits
In October, our Legal Department hosted inaugural summits in Ohio and Florida/Georgia.
Approximately 35 senior defense counsel attended each meeting. Participants shared information and strategies and discussed pertinent issues affecting medical malpractice law in the respective states.
We are already planning our 2009 Legal Summits, with meetings scheduled for Napa in June, Ohio in August, and Florida/Georgia in October.
Ann S. Lofsky, MD Research Award Winner Announced
The Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation has announced the winners of its 2009 Research and Education Grant Awards.
The Doctors Company Foundation’s $5,000 Ann S. Lofsky, MD Research Award was presented to Anahi Perlas, MD, of the Department of Anesthesia, University of Toronto, for his research study titled Gastric Ultrasonography: A Non-Invasive Tool to Determine Gastric Volume-Development of a Quantitative Model.
The Doctor’s Advocate is published by The Doctors Company to advise and inform its members about loss prevention and insurance issues.
The guidelines suggested in this newsletter are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. They attempt to define principles of practice for providing appropriate care. The principles are not inclusive of all proper methods of care nor exclusive of other methods reasonably directed at obtaining the same results.
The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must be made by each health care provider in light of all circumstances prevailing in the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.
The Doctor’s Advocate is published quarterly by Corporate Communications, The Doctors Company. Letters and articles, to be edited and published at the editor’s discretion, are welcome. The views expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or official policy of The Doctors Company. Please sign your letters, and address them to the editor.