Lab, Test, Consult Management

Dec 05, 2024, Inside Medical Liability Online
Incidental Findings Can Lead to Malpractice Claims: Practice Protocols Can Help
If the ordering practitioner does not follow up, an incidental finding may lead to patient harm and result in a malpractice claim. The Doctors Company has completed a new analysis of medical malpractice claims against our members in which an incidental finding was identified as a contributing factor.

Nov 13, 2024
COVID-19 and Patient Safety in the Medical and Dental Office
Debra Kane Hill, MBA, RN, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
As COVID-19 persists across the spectrum of healthcare, medical and dental practices must remain mindful of new variants, infection rates, vaccines, protocols, and resources.

Oct 04, 2024
Detecting and Addressing Incidental Findings: Medical Malpractice Claims
Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, and Angela Jordan, RN, MHSc, Patient Safety Analyst, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
With the use of current imaging technology, it has become more common to find abnormalities, or “incidental findings,” that are unrelated to the reason the imaging was ordered. This review of closed claims from The Doctors Company examines factors that contribute to missed incidental findings and offers strategies to improve follow-up and prevent patient harm.

Oct 01, 2024
MPL Case: Could Closing the Loop Have Saved This Patient's Life?
By Daniel Kent Cassavar, MD, MBA, and Jacqueline Ross, PhD, RN
Confirming a colleague’s receipt and understanding of serious findings is part of patient safety. Further, closed-loop communication expresses mutual respect, which contributes to professional satisfaction.

Aug 06, 2024
Office-Based Medical Malpractice Claims: Study Examines Administrative and Clinical Systems Factors
Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, and Patti L. Ellis, RN, CPHRM, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
Ensuring patient safety is the goal in each office encounter. As evidenced by medical malpractice claims, however, harmful errors can occur that lead to poor outcomes for patients. We have conducted an analysis to better understand the underlying administrative and clinical systems factors that contribute to office-based medical malpractice claims.

Jul 22, 2024
Patient Safety Strategies for Oncology
Tamela Morgan, RN, MBA, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
The strategies presented here can help oncologists keep their patients safe as they mitigate risks.

Apr 30, 2024
Mislabeled Diagnostic Specimens Put Lab Team at Risk: Patient Safety Impact Story
A clinical laboratory team that provides diagnostic evaluation of specimens sent in from multiple practices noticed an increase in tissue specimens arriving mislabeled, prompting a Practice Risk INSIGHT review by The Doctors Company.

Jul 07, 2023, MDLinx
An Indiana Healthcare Provider Mailed Test Results to the Wrong Patient: Is it malpractice?
Nichole M. Pieters, MS, RN, CEN, CPHQ, CPPS, Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group, provides strategies to enhance patient privacy.

May 30, 2023
The Importance of Clinical Health Information at the Point of Radiology Order
Lisa M. McCorkle, MSN, MBA, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company
Having ready access to patients’ clinical information helps radiologists eliminate assumptions and apply their skills and expertise in rendering accurate interpretive reports.

May 22, 2023
Laboratory and Diagnostic Test Tracking in Ambulatory Practice
Dana Faber, MS PSL, RN, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company
Managing patient test results in ambulatory practices can pose a significant challenge. Establishing a standardized workflow to track results is a successful strategy for avoiding missed or delayed diagnosis that can lead to patient injury.

Apr 26, 2023
Curbside Consultations: Patient Safety and Legal Risks
Richard Cahill, JD, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, The Doctors Company
Informal consultations are tempting to busy healthcare practitioners because they are convenient and speedy, but these situations also include inherent liability risks for the consulting practitioner.

Oct 24, 2022
Why Medical Clearance Is Really a Preoperative Evaluation
Debra Davidson, MJ, CPHRM, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company, and David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, The Doctors Company and TDC Group; Senior Vice President, Healthcare Risk Advisors
The goals of the preoperative evaluation are to determine the patient's level of risk and to identify opportunities to mitigate it.

Professional Education
Test Tracking and Referrals: Strategies for Advanced Practice Clinicians
Tracking of tests and consults is critically important in preventing diagnostic errors and preventing patient harm. The risk factors triggering an alleged malpractice claim were primarily related to the breakdown in clinical systems for test result management. Failures of systems often prevent providers from making timely and accurate diagnoses. Testing failures included test performance issues, misinterpretation of studies, receipt, and transmittal problems. Follow-up failures included lack of physician follow-up with the patient, referral management, inadequate provider to provider communication and patient noncompliance.
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Mar 17, 2021
The Pathology Report: Reducing Malpractice Risk
David B. Troxel, MD, Medical Consultant to The Doctors Company
It is essential that the pathology report accurately document everything that a pathologist does with regard to evaluating and diagnosing a specimen—and it is particularly important to document the rationale for critical decision making.

Jan 19, 2021
Requests for Pathology Specimens: Medical and Legal Guidelines
David B. Troxel, MD, Medical Consultant to The Doctors Company
Pathology specimens are irreplaceable materials that may become evidence in a malpractice claim. Knowing how to respond to requests will help you safeguard specimens and minimize your potential liability exposure.