An omission in medical treatment is nearly impossible to defend when there is a written protocol specifically addressing the failed act. That is why an open dialogue between physician and staff on office policies and procedures is necessary to avoid patient injuries.

Medicine need not be practiced through the lens of litigation. Recording the relevant information for your thought processes, however, will only help should that be where you end up.

Consultants are not apt to directly tell the referring physician how he or she should treat the patient. But a radiologist’s repeated recommendations to a surgeon for clinical follow-up can come very close.

A gentleman in his mid-60s presented to the hospital for a total knee replacement. Two months later, Dr. A learned that a foreign body had been found in the patient’s lumbar spine after an MRI had been ordered as part of a sciatica workup.

CAP's General Counsel Gordon Ownby will analyze real life medical malpractice claims that arise from the inner workings of the medical office. Physicians can't do it all themselves, and sometimes their office staff go beyond the scope of their duties. Mr. Ownby will show examples of why protocols, training, and staying aware of what is going on in the medical office are important to reducing risk.