Risk Management 101 for Healthcare Professionals: Malpractice, Patient Relations, and Documentation

Description

This is an introductory level course about basic risk management for practicing clinicians focusing on malpractice, patient communication, and documentation. Healthcare professionals new to practice and more experienced will learn the legal elements of a malpractice claim that must be proven for a plaintiff to prevail. We share communication strategies to enhance patient understanding, compliance, and satisfaction while reducing the risk of abandonment when ending patient relationships. We address the importance of documentation, share open notes strategies for success, and strategies to demonstrate quality of care and reduce risk. Documentation examples are provided, as are tips for electronic health record (EHR) and telehealth documentation.

Description of the Professional Practice Gap (PPG)
​​​​​​​Most practicing clinicians are at risk of a malpractice claim being filed against them at some point in their careers, yet basic malpractice and risk management concepts are not included in their clinical education or training. Following the completion of this course, improving the learner’s knowledge of basic malpractice risk management and the attendant communication and documentation issues will reduce malpractice risk.

​​​​​​​Learning Outcome Statement
Following the completion of this course, improving the learner’s knowledge of basic malpractice risk management and the attendant communication and documentation issues and how to reduce malpractice risk, by attaining 80% or higher score on interactive questions.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, learners will be able to:

• Identify the four elements of a malpractice claim.
• Apply communication strategies to enhance patient understanding, compliance, and satisfaction.
• Formalize termination of care to avoid abandonment.
• Apply documentation practices to demonstrate quality of care and reduce risk.

Course Developers

Robert Morton, MAS, CPPS, CPHRM, ARM, Assistant Vice President, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company
Doug McCullough, Esq., Vice-President of Claims, The Doctors Company.
David L. Feldman, MD, MBA, FASC, Chief Medical Officer, The Doctors Company and TDC Group, Senior Vice President, Healthcare Risk Advisors
Debbie Hill, MBA, RN, CPHRM, CPPS, Senior Patient Risk Manager, The Doctors Company
Julie Brightwell, BSN, JD, RN, CPHRM, CPPS, Director, Healthcare Systems Patient Safety, The Doctors Company
Kimberly Hathaway, MSN, RN, CPHRM, CPHQ, Director Patient Safety Healthcare Quality & Risk Management, The Doctors Company
Johanna Lackner, MPH, MSW, Senior Director, Continuing Professional Development, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company
 

Continuing Education Credits

The Doctors Company is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical educational activities for physicians.

The Doctors Company designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

No individual in a position to control or influence the content of this activity has reported relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. No commercial support was provided for this activity.
 

ANCC - Accreditation and Disclosure Statement

The Doctors Company is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

The Doctors Company designates this activity for a maximum of 1.5 nursing contact hours. Learners should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

No individual in a position to control or influence the content of this activity has reported relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. No commercial support was provided for this activity.
 

ADA - Accreditation and Disclosure Statement

This continuing education activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the standards of the ADA Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) by The   Doctors Company.

The Doctors Company is an ADA CERP Recognized Provider. ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry. Concerns or complaints about a CE provider may be directed to the provider or to ADA CERP at ADA.org/CERP.

The Doctors Company designates this activity for 1.5 continuing education credits.

No individual in a position to control or influence the content of this activity has reported relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. No commercial support was provided for this activity.
 

Disclaimer

The information and guidelines contained in this activity are generalized and may not apply to all practice situations. We recommend that legal advice be obtained from a qualified attorney for specific application to your practice. The information is intended for educational purposes and should be used as a reference guide only.
 

Complies with State Requirements

Please SEE the Federation of State Medical Boards overview of Continuing Medical Education requirements by State.
Please SEE the Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse CE Requirements by State.

Technical Requirements

The activity is best experienced using the most current browser: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported on this platform. All activities featuring audio must have a speaker. To view graphic images and references that appear in separate "pop-up" windows, JavaScript and session cookies must be enabled on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required for certain activities.
 

Contact Us

If you have questions, contact educationsupport@thedoctors.com or call 800.421.2368.

Resource

Visit our Resource document for this program.