An advance directive is a document, such as a living will or durable power of attorney, which provides instructions that guide an agent in making healthcare-related decisions on behalf of a patient. Its purpose is to empower patients to ensure their wishes and goals of care are followed.

positive and trusting relationship with your patient fosters honest conversations, shared decision-making, improved health outcomes, increased loyalty, and fewer lawsuits.

For the fourth consecutive year, CAP is proud to pay tribute to member physicians who have made extraordinary contributions to their community and beyond.

In this age of continuous real-time and on-demand media, how do you know whether your patients are also using their devices to record their office visit without your knowledge or consent? Should patients be allowed to record these visits?

Most physicians know the basic dos and don’ts of accurately documenting notes in a patient’s medical record. However, problems often arise when documenting a disagreement with the findings of another provider, or when using descriptive language about the patient. The wrong choice of words may be perceived as biased or disrespectful.