3 Important Ways To Avoid Having to Use Your Liability Coverage
If you have your own practice or manage a practice, you know the devastation that a claim brought against you, or the practice, can bring.
Here are 3 things that you and your practice can do to help minimize claims and perhaps manage your practice better.
1. Risk Management CMEs. The availability of risk-management CMEs is plentiful and highly encouraged. Many liability companies encourage, cajole and make a point of emphasizing the availability of their CME programs. Usually they are online and often times they are free from the malpractice insurance companies. Beyond that, the agents at MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com encourage their clients and midlevel staff to attend risk management-based seminars, conferences and online webinars. By instilling a core understanding of risk management at every level of the practice, claims can hopefully be minimized. Contact the agents at MyMedicalMalpracticeInsurance.com if you’d like to learn more.
2. Good Communication. Countless studies conducted by the major liability companies have shown that doctors with good communication skills tend to get sued less. What are good communication skills? Especially in an era where doctors need to squeeze hour-long appointments into 15 minute visits? Good communication demonstrates empathy, patience, care and concern. Like a professional baseball player coming up to the plate, try to establish a routine to ensure your success. For every visit, try to get into the habit of doing the same things for each patient that encourages good communication. For instance, you may want to sit down at the start of every visit so you are at eye level with the patient and away from the door. Or, you may want to write down any recommendations for your patients and hand it to them before they leave. Or, you may want to end every appointment by asking, “Have I answered all of your questions?”
3. Data Security. Make sure your security is where it should be on all electronic devices. First, it goes without saying, that keeping your electronic medical records properly secured is imperative. This should be viewed as an ongoing process, not a one-time event. Second, be very careful about which portable electronic devices you use for work. We suggest not mixing your personal devices with work devices. While checking your work e-mail from your personal phone is very convenient, it is also very risky considering security often isn’t as high and these devices are easily lost.
