August 22, 2023, KevinMD
For Orthopedic Surgeons, an All-of-the-Above Approach Lowers Liability Risks
Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, and Eric E. Cleckler, MSN, RN, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group, analyze orthopedic medical malpractice insurance claims and translate the findings into patient safety insights to help medical professionals pursue best practices for risk mitigation.
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Professional Education
Shoulder Dystocia Clinician-Patient Disclosure
This enduring activity is designed to assist physicians and advanced practice clinicians (APCs) in enhancing their communication skills when disclosing a shoulder dystocia injury to patients and family members. This type of injury to the infant may, unfortunately, occur despite the best of care; however, effective physician-patient communication is an integral part of clinical practice and has been shown to positively influence outcomes by increasing patient understanding and trust.
November 13, 2025, Inside Medical Liability
MPL Case: Could Timely Diagnosis Have Preserved This Patient’s Vision?
Despite thorough subject-matter knowledge, physicians can miss the diagnosis of a familiar condition because of issues with clinical judgment. Clinical judgment may be influenced by distraction, interruption, or team communication issues. A new study of malpractice allegations against ophthalmologists suggests that when practices build teamwork skills, they strengthen patient safety and mitigate practice risks.
February 19, 2025, JAMA Network Open
Ambient Listening—Legal and Ethical Issues
Ambient listening, which involves using AI to record and analyze conversations between clinicians and patients, is one area of early AI adoption among healthcare professionals. I. Glenn Cohen, JD; Julie Ritzman, MBA, CPHRM; and Richard F. Cahill, JD, provide a comprehensive analysis of the legal and ethical considerations associated with the use of ambient listening technologies in healthcare settings.
Healthcare Cybersecurity Resources
It’s not a matter of if a data breach will occur in your medical practice—it’s a matter of when. Make sure your practice is prepared with these resources.
Dec 02, 2024
2024 Judicial Review: Significant Court Decisions on Medical Liability Issues
Between fall 2023 and summer 2024, state supreme courts handed down mixed decisions on medical liability issues affecting healthcare professionals.
From
The Doctor’s Advocate
Sep 05, 2025
The Foundation Board Welcomes New Director Ami Parekh, MD, JD
We’re pleased to welcome Ami Parekh, MD, JD, to The Doctors Company Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Parekh is the Chief Health Officer at Included Health, where she leads their national primary care, urgent care, behavioral health, clinical navigation, and population health management practices.
From
The Doctor’s Advocate
Plastic Surgery Closed Claims Study Reveals Most Common Case Types
In this study of plastic surgery closed claims, The Doctors Company looks at the most common case types, most common patient injuries, primary drivers / frequent allegations, and strategies for mitigating risk for both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
Professional Education
Module 3: Safe Prescribing of Opioids and CNS Depressants (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 examine multimodal approaches for chronic pain, including physical, psych-behavioral, procedural, and pharmacological modalities. You will be encouraged to use tools for prescribing and tapering opioids and benzodiazepines. You will be provided with an overview of the use of CURES 2.0. Lastly, the program will examine how to best screen patients for use of CNS depressants and marijuana to mitigate the potential for contraindications with opioids. This module consists of seven audio-filled videos. To successfully complete this course, you need to achieve a passing score of 80 percent in the post-test questions.
Diagnostic Error in General Surgery: Cognitive Bias and Systems Issues in Medical Malpractice Claims (Abstract)
Although claims against general surgeons primarily allege technical surgical-type errors, diagnostic error is the second most frequent allegation against or case type for general surgeons. Analysis of malpractice claims can elucidate the causes of and solutions to diagnostic errors. This study considers differences between diagnostic errors, both cognitive and systemic, committed by general surgeons in the inpatient vs. the outpatient setting.
