Patients who are non-adherent (formerly referred to as “difficult” or “non-compliant”) with their physician’s recommendations or medical advice risk injury to themselves and pose a liability threat for their physician. Non-adherent patients typically are those who do not follow post-treatment instructions; don’t keep appointments; don’t report information about worsening symptoms; fail to follow through on referrals to a specialist; don’t get recommended diagnostic tests; or don’t take their medications properly. Reasons for non-adherence Non-adherence is not always a deliberate act. Among the reasons some patients may not follow the doctor’s advice: They didn’t understand instructions; They forgot the doctor’s oral...
[caption id="attachment_1586" align="alignleft" width="835"] Source: ACCMA Bulletin "Coping with Litigation Stress"[/caption] When faced with the harsh reality of a malpractice lawsuit, many physicians experience anxiety, anger, fear, depression, and other typical reactions which are collectively referred to as “litigation stress syndrome.” A medical malpractice lawsuit may take several years to resolve, and during that time these symptoms take their toll on the physician and their family. Fortunately, MIEC and its partners offer several services to help physicians successfully cope with the trauma of being sued. Litigation Stress Committee of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association The Litigation Stress Committee of the Alameda-Contra...
CRICO Strategies Publishes New Benchmarking Report
On February 12, 2019, CRICO Strategies, a division of Harvard’s Risk Management Foundation (see footnote below), released its annual benchmarking report entitled, “Medical Malpractice in America – a 10-Year Assessment with Insights.” The Report analyzes 124,000 medical professional liability cases from 2007 to 2016, representing 30% of the total MPL claims in the nation. As your professional liability carrier, MIEC is determined to bring insight and actionable data to our members to improve patient safety and reduce both the number and cost of medical professional liability (MPL) claims. CRICO Strategies’ output is one of the most definitive sources available for...
Medical Assistant Update: Training and Scope of Practice
A medical assistant (MA) is an unlicensed individual who performs basic administrative, clerical or technical support services on behalf of a licensed practitioner. Many MAs are certified by an educational institution or their employer as being competent to perform specified tasks. Although the specific scope of practice for medical assistants varies from state to state, unlicensed personnel generally may not diagnose, treat, prescribe for, operate upon, or perform any invasive procedure upon patients. Physicians should be aware of their responsibility to ensure that MAs working under their direction are adequately trained and supervised. General Recommendations: Ensure your MAs’ level of...
Do you prescribe controlled substances? Do you provide prenatal or postpartum care, or pediatric care for infants? If you answered “yes” to any of these, you will want to know about some new laws taking effect in 2019. Laws are effective January 1, 2019 unless otherwise noted. AB 1753 (Low) Controlled Substance: Security Prescription Forms This law requires controlled substance security prescription forms to include a unique serialized number in a format approved by the Department of Justice (DOJ). The legislation did not include a transition period to allow for continued use of old prescription forms after January 1....