Medical Malpractice Insurance News

As telehealth use continues to rise, physicians are strongly encouraged to adopt practices that can help reduce the risk of an associated medical malpractice claim.

MLMIC encourages policyholders to review these important Risk Management Checklists on office policies, including guidance on maintaining patient confidentiality, tracking test results, following up on missed or cancelled appointments, using chaperones or scribes and handling patient complaints.

Patient confidentiality breaches pose a significant risk in the healthcare setting. HIPAA and New York State laws govern your obligation to maintain the confidentiality of protected health information (PHI). Review this Risk Management Tip from MLMIC to reinforce related policies and protocols within your practice or facility.

In response to a rise in coronavirus cases, OCR has issued an announcement reminding physicians and healthcare organizations about the ways that patient information may be shared under HIPAA.

A new ECRI Institute report identifies the five key patient safety challenges in ambulatory care, naming diagnostic errors as the most common.

Research from Accenture and the American Medical Association (AMA) reveals a sobering statistic about cybersecurity: “more than four in five U.S. physicians (83 percent) have experienced some form of a cybersecurity attack.”

Healthcare facilities and providers are encouraged to review the updated list of penalties for compliance purposes.

HHS has issued an alert that a phishing scam email is being circulated on mock HHS departmental letterhead. This email, which appears to be an official government communication to HIPAA covered entities, prompts recipients to click a link regarding possible inclusion in the HIPAA audit program.

Natural or manmade disasters and building malfunctions can befall a dentist’s office, resulting in the partial or complete destruction of dental records. These catastrophes do not, by themselves, automatically absolve a dentist from the responsibility to maintain patient records.

All healthcare related entities should periodically complete a system-wide risk analysis, implement a risk management plan and strengthen internal policies and procedures to mitigate, if not eliminate, the possibility of such an event from occurring. As highlighted by this case, such risk analysis must take into account computers and devices used by employees both in and out of the office or facility.