Risk Management Publications

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Adding Medical Spa Services to Your Practice

For many physicians, a venture into cosmetic services is a huge leap from their normal practice and they are finding themselves in unfamiliar territory and with many questions. One question we get frequently at CAP is related to scope of practice in a med spa. In other words, who can do what?

When the Patient Seeks a 'Favor'

Asking one’s physician for a “favor” generally means asking for something outside of what the physician would normally and customarily do. When that favor also involves asking the physician to step outside his or her specialty, the warning bells should start ringing.

Programs Aim to Turn the Tide on Physician Shortages

This past spring, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) reported that the United States will see a shortage of up to nearly 122,000 physicians by 2032. Projected shortages include primary care (between 22,100 and 55,200) and specialty care (between 24,800 and 65,800).

Protecting Your Employees and Your Practice

Whether you have a staff of one or 100, your employees play a big role in your practice’s daily success, so when an injury occurs on the job, both productivity and profits suffer.

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Impact of Wildfire on Property Insurance

Wildfires are happening more frequently and causing more damage. Here are some tips you can implement to prepare for a wildfire at your home or office.

Call for Applications to the CAP Fellows Program

CAP members who participate in the Fellows Program are introduced to a variety of medical liability issues and enrich the workings of these committees by introducing new viewpoints and perspectives.

December, 2019

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November, 2019

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October, 2019

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New Evidence About Severe Pulmonary Disease Linked to Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)

Electronic Nicotine Delivery systems (ENDS) are the newest emerging technology in the epidemic of novel tobacco products that has been spilling out of start-up companies for the last 13 years. So physicians wonder, “How should I respond when my patients seek advice about using these electronic devices?”

How to Respond to Patient Grievance Letters

What should you do when your office receives a grievance letter from a health plan and a written response is requested?

Patient Record Requests: What Is Proper Release Protocol?

Medical practices frequently receive medical record release requests from multiple sources, including subpoenas, attorney letters, and patients themselves. Learn the answers to several frequently asked questions by patients.

Refresher: Discontinuing the Patient-Physician Relationship

CAP's Hotline receives frequent calls requesting guidelines on discontinuing/terminating this patient-physician relationship, not because of wellness, but because the physician no longer desires to have the patient in his practice. From these calls, we have learned of "misunderstandings," which this article intends to clarify.

Who Must Sign a Death Certificate?

CAP member physicians frequently call our hotline with questions about completing a patient’s death certificate. Sometimes, they are reluctant to sign the legal document since they were not in attendance at the time of death. Other times, they inquire if their nurse practitioner or physician assistant can sign the death certificate for them.

Does Your Medical Practice Need a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) Certificate of Waiver?

Does your staff perform any in-office laboratory tests, such as patient urine dip-sticks or Glucose Tolerance Tests?

How Long Do I Have to Keep My Patient’s Medical Records?

Here is the question asked most often on our risk management hotline: How long should our office retain patient medical records and billing information?

Must Office Staff Wear Name Tags and Disclose Their License Status?

Yes. According to Business & Professions Code Section 680, a health care practitioner, while working, must disclose his or her name and license status on a name tag in at least 18-point type.

Can a Medical Assistant (MA) perform Microdermabrasion?

A frequently asked question to the CAP Hotline is: Our practice wants to offer "Microdermabrasion". Can the procedure be done by a trained medical assistant, under the supervision of a physician? The answer is no.

DEA Extortion Scams Resurface in California

A CAP member physician recently called our risk management hotline requesting help with a call from a Washington Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent. The caller demanded that she turn herself in to local law enforcement for writing fraudulent prescriptions and dealing drugs with the Mexican mafia.

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