We all know patients in California have a right to review their medical record and/or obtain a copy. It is also no surprise that healthcare providers are typically allowed to charge a fee for this service. However, with all the different rules and exceptions, copying fees can be confusing.

The Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) is proud to partner with the Sierra Sacramento Valley and the Placer-Nevada County Medical Societies in hosting an Anesthesia Risk Management CME dinner program to physicians – at no cost or obligation. This interactive and informative ninety-minute program offers practical tips to help and provide anesthesiologists additional tools in order to increase patient safety and reduce claims. Attendees will learn objectives through the presentation of case studies and statistical data.

The California Court of Appeal has ruled that a psychologist who failed to appear for a licensing board-ordered psychiatric exam has no grounds to challenge the subsequent suspension of his license.

In the coming year, the Risk Management and Patient Safety Department will continue mining data from a variety of sources: CAP closed claims, hotline calls, CAPCares calls, and practice survey data. Our goal is to identify trends, vulnerabilities, and emerging concerns or new issues that impact a physician’s practice. This article will provide a brief summary of findings from the 2017 General Surgery – Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy study. 

A CAP member physician recently called our risk management hotline requesting help with a call from a Washington Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. The caller demanded that she turn herself in to local law enforcement for writing fraudulent prescriptions and dealing drugs with the Mexican mafia.