Welcome to the Nexus of Ethics, Psychology, Morality, Philosophy and Health Care

Welcome to the nexus of ethics, psychology, morality, technology, health care, and philosophy
Showing posts with label Defensive Medicine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defensive Medicine. Show all posts

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

8 Malpractice Dangers in Your EHR

By Neil Chesanow
MedScape
Originally published August 26, 2014

Many physicians are so concerned about being sued for malpractice that they routinely order unnecessary tests and procedures to practice defensive medicine. And yet, when it comes to legal risks in using their electronic health records (EHRs), their concern is often nonexistent, experts assert.

Many doctors use their EHRs in nonstandard ways, without considering how this may affect them in a liability suit. Or they gloss over other aspects of using an EHR.

"Every aspect of EHR selection, implementation, and use may be examined in the course of medical malpractice discovery to uncover the source of the incident, or undermine the records that are being presented in defense of the malpractice claim," warns Ronald B. Sterling, CPA, MBA, an EHR expert in Silver Spring, Maryland, and author of Keys to EMR Success.

"Anything could be a malpractice issue," Sterling says, "from the product itself, to the way it was set up, to how you've been using it."

Are your EHR practices setting you up for a rude awakening should a patient sue you for malpractice? Let's take a look.

The entire article is here.

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Overtreatment as Myth

New York Times Letter to the Editor
Originally published September 3, 2012

To the Editor:

Re “Overtreatment Is Taking a Harmful Toll” (Well, Aug. 28): Undertreatment could be a much bigger problem than overtreatment. Studies by the RAND Institute, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, have found significant underuse of preventive testing and treatment for cervical, breast and colorectal cancer, as well as for H.I.V., heart disease and diabetes. RAND concluded that, on average, Americans receive only 55 percent of recommended preventive care and that underuse of such care was a bigger problem than overuse.

Alan Mertz
Washington

The writer is president, American Clinical Laboratory Association.


To the Editor:

The overwhelming medical care in this country is actually appropriate. By emphasizing the bad experiences of a few, this article may end up suggesting to people that they should not trust their doctors.

Defensive medicine is sometimes practiced for fear of malpractice suits, but this should not be confused with the honest effort of the overwhelming majority of physicians to give their patients the best care possible.

Barry E. Rosenbloom, M.D.
Beverly Hills, Calif.