Delay in Diagnosing Breast Cancer: A Case Summary and Tips to Reduce Risk
A delay in diagnosing breast cancer may result when a patient doesn’t follow through with diagnostic recommendations.
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Jun 18, 2024
Artificial Intelligence: Emerging Issues in Healthcare and Insurance Public Policy
As AI becomes more integrated into healthcare, matters relating to professional liability remain unsettled.
From
The Doctor’s Advocate
December 01, 2024, South Florida Hospital News and Healthcare Report
The Rising Threat of Nuclear Verdicts in Medical Malpractice: A Call for Tort Reform
Dr. Patricia Ares-Romero discusses the increasing trend of "nuclear verdicts"—jury awards exceeding $10 million—in medical malpractice cases. She highlights insights from Bob White, President of The Doctors Company and TDC Group, noting that from 2013 to 2023, these verdicts surged by 67%, with the average award among the top 50 malpractice verdicts rising from $32 million in 2022 to $48 million in 2023.
Nonadherent and Noncompliant Patients: Overcoming Barriers
Nonadherent or noncompliant patient conduct (whether intentional or inadvertent) can adversely affect clinical outcomes, undermine the practitioner-patient relationship, and disrupt the operation of practice.
Health Insurance Reform Could Lead to Patient Abandonment: Why the Silence?
Will Washington cancel coverage for millions of patients and unleash a tidal wave of litigation on the U.S. healthcare system? I challenge leaders in healthcare and government to address this question.
Interventional Radiology Wrong-Site Procedure: Case Review
This case review explores factors contributing to a wrong-site procedure and highlights strategies that can help practitioners mitigate risk and increase safety.
Video Jul 29, 2024
What Is the Reptile Theory and How Does It Impact Medical Malpractice Verdicts?
Plaintiff’s lawyers are using “Reptile Theory”—leveraging the “fight or flight” instinct in jurors—to maximize malpractice verdicts higher than ever seen before. Learn how this dangerous trend of overcoming logic and reason in the courtroom is leading to social inflation and increased healthcare costs in this video featuring Robert White, President of The Doctors Company and TDC Group.
January 29, 2025, ACS Practice Management
Lessons Learned from a Medical Malpractice Lawsuit: Aortic Surgery in a Patient with Significant Underlying Coronary Disease
David Han, MD, FACS, and Jacqueline Ross, RN, PhD, Coding Director, The Doctors Company, part of TDC Group, discuss the complications and critical decision-making errors in a case of aortic surgery on a patient with severe coronary disease. The article emphasizes the importance of thorough preoperative evaluation and considering all surgical options to manage complications effectively.
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.
The Doctors Company Awarded Great Place to Work Certification for Third Time
The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer, announced today it has been Certified as a Great Place to Work for the third time. The recognition is based entirely on what current employees say about working at The Doctors Company, with 89 percent of employees saying it’s a great place to work.
