Medical Malpractice Insurance News

The 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law back in 2016, and there are now certain milestones approaching that dentists must be ready to meet. By and large, the Cures Act has a greater impact on medical practices, but there are certain aspects of the law that matter for dental practices, as well.

Considering increased patient access to their own health information, the following strategies can help physicians promote patient understanding of and engagement with their EHR.

The growing emphasis on the EHR places a greater documentation burden on physicians, contributing to stress and burnout. MLMIC examines strategies to improve EHR workflow.

One of the most challenging times to be a dental practice owner is right after disaster strikes. Whether the emergency is related to weather, theft, cybersecurity breaches or something else, the owner must lead the office out of the crisis while mitigating the damage as much as possible. Recovering from a disaster at your dental office is possible, especially if the owner and other office leaders are familiar with emergency response protocol ahead of time. Here are eight important steps to take after disaster strikes your dental office.

It is challenging to handle dental record protocol in the event that paper or electronic records have been damaged or destroyed by floods, other types of storms or by a ransomware attack. When dental records have been damaged or lost by accident, natural disaster or criminal computer compromise, prompt and appropriate action must be taken to mitigate the damage and/or loss. Immediate remedial measures must be undertaken for the benefit of patients as well as the dentist and the practice, as these losses may involve records from many years of treatment.

Patient access to electronic medical records allows individuals greater insight into their own health documents—but also brings new complexity to record management.

Recent analysis indicates physicians are experiencing EHR alert fatigue, which can harm patient care. Health systems can adopt strategies to ensure patient safety, while optimizing use of the technology.

MLMIC encourages policyholders to review these important Risk Management Checklists on technology, including guidance on EHR copy/paste, computers in exam rooms, patient portals, protected health information, health IT and online reviews.

After adopting 21st Century Cures Act compliance strategies, physicians say patient access to their records can lend itself to stronger engagement and higher satisfaction.

One way that physicians have chosen to address the growing workload associated with electronic health records is through the use of scribes. Review this Risk Management Tip from MLMIC to reinforce related policies and protocols within your practice or facility.