Practice Management News and Education

According to the Medical Board of California 2017-2018 Annual Report, the Board’s Enforcement Program received 10,188 complaints against physicians, surgeons, and unlicensed individuals. This reflects an increase of 1,269 complaints (nine percent) over the prior fiscal year. The Board also referred 504 cases to the Attorney General for further action, an increase of more than 18 percent over the prior year.

What do you do when a patient comes into your office with a dog? Tell them to leave? Allow the dog no matter what? The answer is that it depends. Service dogs are governed by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the California Disabled Persons Act (CDPA), the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). 

It depends… The Medical Board of California (MBC) cautions, “Physicians should view carefully his or her decision to allow medical assistants to perform this task.” It is not the physical act of picking up a phone and dialing a number that is of concern.

CAP's Risk Management and Patient Safety Department offers the following guidelines to help physicians who are retiring or otherwise closing or selling their practice, or for those handling the estate of a deceased physician.

Risk management has always been a central component of CAP’s strategy to help its member physicians. Through its Risk Management Program, CAP provides a unique blend of services designed to help member physicians control the risks inherent in today’s practice of medicine and, thus, mitigate potential claims. 

Holiday time can mean precious time with family and maybe some well-deserved R&R. But for many, this time of year can leave us feeling frazzled from the stress of holiday gift shopping and party planning. To add a bit more sparkle to your holiday season,  CAP is pleased to offer you a plethora of discounted programs that appeal to the budget-conscious and the safety-conscious.

On April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court issued a decision entitled Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. The Superior Court of Los Angeles County (Charles Lee), which evaluated whether workers in California should be classified as employees or as independent contractors for purposes of California wage orders.

Through our extensive range of practice management benefits, CAP is committed to helping our members tackle some of the scarier aspects of running a business. The following are some scary practice scenarios you might be facing, and solutions to address them.

Research shows that communication and early resolution programs, such as Stanford’s PEARL Program and COPIC Insurance Company’s 3Rs Program, have been successful in helping both patients and providers during the stressful time after an adverse event.

Recently CAP has partnered with Hippocratic Financial Advisors and many of our members have utilized Ravi's services and we feel that they're a great resource for our members.