Risk Management News and Education

The Patient Partnership Plan was developed by CAP risk management and patient safety specialists to help physicians increase the levels of accountability of the patient by managing their levels of expectations, thus reducing risk and liability.

You’ve heard of cases where scissors, retractors, forceps, sponges, and other items get left behind in patients during surgery. Considering the risk of “fuzzy math," we’ve picked up on a few things we thought would be good for all surgeons to know.

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.

When Governor Gavin Newsom signed California Assembly Bill 35 (AB 35) into law on May 23, 2022, it opened the door for a likely tremendous surge of medical malpractice litigation—with increasing frequency and cost—after it goes into effect on January 1, 2023.

We know you always have your patients’ best interests at heart. But have you thought about the possibility that unconscious biases against certain genders, ethnicities, or cultures may be impacting your care? A bias is the negative evaluation of one group and its members relative to another. Implicit or unconscious bias does not require an individual to be aware of their actions or beliefs.

When attending to a weekend surgery at the hospital, make sure you don’t find yourself all alone with too much to do. A 61-year-old patient was the only scheduled surgery on a Saturday morning, where he was to undergo an ERCP for suspected inflamed gallbladder/bile duct gallstones.

One of the most important methods of mortality surveillance is through monitoring causes of death as reported on death certificates. Death certificates are registered for every death occurring in the United States, which helps provide a complete picture of mortality trends and data nationwide.

In recent healthcare incidents and violent attacks that have swept the country, victims and their families have been left with unanswered questions as investigators attempt to piece together clues from the deceased suspects’ social media posts, letters, and/or manifestos and determine the motives and patterns around their fatal and horrific actions.

Physicians are experiencing the not-so-new phenomenon of negative publicity, but it is happening with more immediacy and reach through social media and other marketing outlets.