07/23/2013    

MEDICAL MALPRACTICE NEWS

Missed Follow-ups a Potent Trigger of Lawsuits

Medical liability experts say missed appointments and failures to follow up pose some of the greatest legal risks for physicians. The legal dangers appear to be on the rise as team-based care grows and patients are handed off to a wider scope of health professionals. In a survey of 723 patient care sites by medical liability insurer The Doctors Company, 53% of respondents said referrals and scheduling follow-up appointments were their top risk-management problems.

The study, posted online in May, surveyed a range of practice environments in 2011 from small medical practices to large integrated delivery systems, hospitals, and outpatient facilities. The survey found the most frequent risk-management issues were failure to contact patients after missed appointments and a lack of tracking to ensure appropriate follow-up care was completed. The survey also showed that medical record documentation was a risk-management problem in 47% of the offices surveyed.

Source: Alicia Gallegos, Amednews [7/15/13]