Support our online development, and advance our onground research initiatives in free market economics, as we seek to showcase the brightest Next-Gen minds.
THE ME-P DISCLAIMER: Posts, comments and opinions do not necessarily represent iMBA, Inc., but become our property after submission. Copyright © 2006 to-date. iMBA, Inc allows colleges, universities, medical and financial professionals and related clinics, hospitals and non-profit healthcare organizations to distribute our proprietary essays, photos, videos, audios and other documents; etc. However, please review copyright and usage information for each individual asset before submission to us, and/or placement on your publication or web site. Attestation references, citations and/or back-links are required. All other assets are property of the individual copyright holder.
The BEST Defense
By Christopher Miller JD
[Alpharetta, Georgia]
The best defense against any medical malpractice liability claim is a complete and accurate written or electronic record of the facts. In particular, medical malpractice claims will frequently be stalled or thwarted by a consistent written description of the symptoms you observe and the treatments you prescribe.
Extensive record keeping will not only help formulate a defense against a claim, but it will also (and perhaps more importantly) create the appearance that you are careful and highly competent in all of your affairs. Members of a jury may not be able to discern whether the medical judgments you made in a particular case were good or bad, as they do not have the years of education and training that you do.
***
***
Jurors can, however, sense whether your practice is organized and professional. If your records are thorough and consistent, jurors will assume that you dedicate as much attention to the substantive aspects of your work as you do to the tedium of recordkeeping. If you are active in the management of your office, you should keep track of its operations and establish logs for your employees to complete as they perform their daily tasks.
Assessment
Not all information, however, ought to be written down. Keep your written records to the facts you have observed and leave your speculations for department meetings.
And, is there an emerging movement back to paper medical records?
Conclusion
Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.
Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com
OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:
- PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
- HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
- CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
- ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
- FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
- INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
- Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
- Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
- Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care
Harvard Medical School
Boston Children’s Hospital – Psychiatrist
Yale University
***
Share this:
Filed under: Practice Management, Professional Liability, Risk Management | Tagged: Christopher Miller JD, EMRs, Medical Records as Malpractice Defense, paper medical records | 2 Comments »
The Leading Business Education Network for Doctors, Financial Advisors and Health Industry Consultants 