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Social Inflation Causes Between $2.4 and $3.5 Billion of All Medical Malpractice Losses, The Doctors Company Study Finds
In the decade ending in 2021, between $2.4 and $3.5 billion, or 8 to 11 percent, of all medical malpractice losses incurred by physician-focused insurers stemmed from social inflation, according to new research from The Doctors Company, the nation’s largest physician-owned medical malpractice insurer and part of TDC Group.

During COVID-19, Doctor Donates Tribute Award to Medical School Alma Mater
Richard A. Bond, DO, FAAFM, who recently retired from family practice, donated the entirety of his Tribute® Plan award to the emergency fund of his medical school alma mater, California’s Western University of Health Sciences.

Informed Consent Sample Forms
Customize our informed consent sample forms to your practice and your patients.

Professional Education
Module 4: Recognition, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Substance Use Disorder (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 be shown strategies for recognizing substance use disorder (SUD) and opioid use disorder (OUD). Refamiliarize yourself with screening for fentanyl. Provide valuable pharmacological and nonpharmacological resources to connect patients to treatment for addiction. Discuss individualized treatment plans that are tailored to specific patient needs when treating OUD. This module consists of four audio-filled videos. To successfully complete this course, you need to achieve a passing score of 80 percent in the post-test questions.

Plastic Surgery: Frequently Asked Patient Safety Questions
Our experts answer questions from plastic surgeons, addressing issues such as patient selection and managing patient expectations.

Jun 18, 2024
Spotlight on Foundation Grants: Using AI to Assess Cataract Surgery Performance
The Doctors Company Foundation highlights a project to develop an AI system for assessing surgical competency in cataract surgery.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Nuclear Verdicts in Healthcare: How Social Inflation Impacts Physicians, Patients, and the Future of Medicine
Social inflation increases the price of healthcare. It ratchets up the costs of doing business for healthcare professionals and facilities, and fear of litigation inspires defensive medicine. Fortunately, through tort reform, states may be able to contain social inflation’s effects on healthcare costs.

May 11, 2023, Inside Medical Liability Online
Postpartum Malpractice Claims: Can We Understand Preventable Harms and Socioeconomic Factors?
Rates for maternal morbidity and mortality are higher in the U.S. than in any other developed country—and many of the harms suffered by patients are preventable. In a multifactorial study, David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FACS, Chief Medical Officer, The Doctors Company and TDC Group; Jacqueline Ross, PhD, RN, CPAN, Coding Director, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company, and Shelise Valentine, RNC, MSN, Director of Clinical Education, Healthcare Risk Advisors, part of TDC Group, investigated postpartum claims to develop clinical recommendations to decrease the risks of postpartum morbidity and mortality.

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.

Patient Relations: Anticipate and Address Challenging Situations
Questions about patient relations and patient termination are consistently the top reasons that members request assistance.