Risk Management Publications

What can physicians do to help educate and quell the fears of the parents and patients when discussing vaccinations? Taking a bit more time with them, explaining the facts and science of vaccinations, may more likely lead them to choose vaccination for their children.

Court Says Behavior Contract Did Not Void Physician’s Right to Hearing

An appellate court has ruled that a hospital’s attempt to manage a staff physician’s behavior through a written agreement went too far because the physician’s summary loss of privileges could be traced back to patient care issues.

Proposed Rule on Stark Law Provisions

The federal government’s stated intent to ease healthcare delivery through simplified regulations will address a long-time irritant of physicians: the Stark Law.

Your Privacy with the Cooperative of American Physicians, Inc.

When you join CAP, you provide us with personal information. We treat this personal information as confidential, limit access to those who need it to perform their jobs, and take steps to protect our systems from unauthorized access.

The Experts at CAP Agency Are Your Personal Insurance Consultants

Concierge service is exactly what CAP seeks to deliver through CAP Physicians Insurance Agency, Inc., a wholly owned CAP subsidiary.

November, 2019

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October, 2019

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September, 2019

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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.

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 Patient Return Visits 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.

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