Risk Management Publications

Please Vote

The elections for the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc. (CAP) Board of Directors and for the Mutual Protection Trust (MPT) Board of Trustees are currently underway—and the July 25th annual meeting date is fast approaching!

Attending Surgeries With Limited On Call: Who Will Have Your Back?

When attending to a weekend surgery at the hospital, make sure you don’t find yourself all alone with too much to do.

“You Didn’t Tell Me That.” Informed Refusal as a Defense

A common allegation in malpractice lawsuits is the failure to obtain the patient’s consent for treatment. It goes beyond just getting the patient to sign a piece of paper.

Want to Know More About State and Federal Policy? Become a CAP Public Affairs Insider

To give members even more current information on bill activities in California and in Washington, D.C., CAP now offers insider information to members who choose to opt in for regular email updates.

California Wildfires Changing the Insurance Market

Due to the high number of devastating wildfires California has experienced in the past two years, homeowner insurance coverage is getting harder to place and sometimes next to impossible to obtain in high-risk locations.

June, 2019

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May, 2019

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April, 2019

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At CAP, We Are Leading Together

In partnership with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), we are celebrating Healthcare Risk Management Week! This week brings awareness to the critical role healthcare risk management and patient safety professionals play in improving patient and workplace safety, promoting quality assurance, and minimizing liability exposure for involved clinicians and practices.

An Expansion of the Rights of Minors Relating to Patient Records

California law provides that any adult patient and any minor patient authorized by law to consent to medical treatment, is entitled to inspect and request a copy of their medical record upon written request to the healthcare provider and payment of reasonable costs to make the record available. (California Health and Safety Code Section 123110)

May Medical Assistants Call in New Prescriptions or Refills to a Pharmacy?

It depends… The Medical Board of California (MBC) cautions, “Physicians should view carefully his or her decision to allow medical assistants to perform this task.” It is not the physical act of picking up a phone and dialing a number that is of concern.

Checklist for Closing Your Medical Practice

CAP's Risk Management and Patient Safety Department offers the following guidelines to help physicians who are retiring or otherwise closing or selling their practice, or for those handling the estate of a deceased physician.

Documenting Patients Return Visit and Following Up on Missed Appointments

As every patient visit concludes with a documented office visit encounter, the visit note should include when the patient is advised to return. It is important for the physician to document when a patient should return to the office and for what purpose.

Signing the Electronic Record

Many physicians have migrated to the electronic record in the in-patient and out-patient setting. Physicians routinely use electronic and digital signatures in lieu of a hand written signature. Electronic submission necessitates security measures to verify and authenticate the physician’s identity.

Telephone Call Documentation

How does your office handle telephone messages from patients? Are they recorded in a telephone log? Added to the chart? How are physicians notified about the call? These are important questions because they affect patient outcomes and patient safety.

Four Ways to Improve Your Vendor Selection Process

So far this year, business associate breaches account for roughly 12 percent of the total breaches reported to the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), or 27 of the 233 reported breaches as of September 19. What does this mean to a covered entity? It means that it’s not enough to require a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Vendors should be diligently vetted.

We’re Rebooting Risk E-Notes

We wanted to inform you that Risk E-Notes is being replaced by a new monthly digest, Patient Safety Advocate. As you know, Risk E Notes is a bimonthly email newsletter published by CAP’s Risk Management and Patient Safety Newsletter. Risk E-Notes has been written for independent physicians and their office staff. We know how busy you are and we know how difficult it is to keep up with the latest risk management news and trends.

CURES 2.0: Mandatory Use Begins October 2, 2018

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has certified California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES). Effective October 2, 2018, it will become mandatory for all health care practitioners to consult and review the CURES 2.0 system prior to prescribing, ordering, administering, or furnishing a Schedule II-IV controlled substance.

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