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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.

Requests for Pathology Specimens
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.

Nov 27, 2023
Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Patients: Top FAQs
Debra Kane Hill, MBA, RN, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, and Richard F. Cahill, JD, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, The Doctors Company
Healthcare professionals who accept Medicare and Medicaid patients must comply with federal laws pertaining to language assistance for LEP patients. We answer frequently asked questions.
From The Doctor’s Advocate

Distracting Devices in Healthcare: Malpractice Implications
Digital distraction in healthcare is a threat to patient safety and physician well-being. Personal electronic devices can create a digital distraction so engaging that it consumes awareness, potentially preventing healthcare providers from focusing on the primary task at hand—caring for and interacting with patients.

MediGuard
MediGuard regulatory risk coverage, part of our medical malpractice insurance policy, provides members with legal representation for administrative actions brought by Medicare/Medicaid, medical licensing boards, credentialing reviews and actions, Professional Review Organizations, federal agencies regarding EMTALA, and the DEA.

APC Preventive Action and Loss Reduction Guide
Depending on the state, an APC may be permitted to practice autonomously, as part of a collaborative agreement, or under the supervision of a physician. Regardless of an APC’s practice status or employment arrangement, however, all individuals can be held liable for their own acts of negligence. Our preventive action and loss reduction guide can help APCs in every practice environment.

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