Medical malpractice lawsuits are no longer based solely on medical errors or missed treatments. Many of these cases are becoming more about the experience of the patient: how he or she feels, and whether he or she felt they were treated fairly or felt mistreated. Here are some tips to mitigate risk and strengthen the patient experience.

To pursue a lawsuit for medical malpractice, it is not enough for a plaintiff to demonstrate that a defendant did not meet the standard of care in treating a patient and that a patient suffered a  harm. A crucial component must bridge the two — the professional breach must have caused the harm.

Effective October 2, 2018, it became mandatory for all health care practitioners to consult and review California’s Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) 2.0 system prior to prescribing, ordering, administering, or furnishing a Schedule II-IV controlled substance. It is imperative that physicians familiarize themselves with the requirements of this mandate in order to avoid liability risks and administrative sanctions. 

Featuring a keynote series from the highly acclaimed, Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, the conference will provide valuable insights into improving the patient experience in your medical practice.

Notwithstanding the usual suspects that hinder electronic medical record implementation — initial costs, interoperability problems, training burdens, and altered physician-patient dynamics — there’s also the risk of a pure system malfunction. In a malpractice suit after an admitted malfunction, a physician’s actions will still be scrutinized.