Saying, “I’m sorry,” and Other Things That Can Impact Malpractice Claims
By Admin | June 17, 2016
The New England Journal of Medicine conducted a study to find out which physician behaviors lead to malpractice claims. Results aren’t surprising; patients like to be treated like people and respected.
The five key findings are:
- Lack of communication, availability, responsiveness and empathy from the physician puts him/her at an increased risk for malpractice claims.
- Unhappy patients are more likely to sue than satisfied patients.
- Twenty percent of physicians at one practice were responsible for 80 percent of malpractice claims.
- A simple apology from a physician to a patient can possibly prevent malpractice claims.
- Some states have attempted to mend the doctor-patient relationship with Apology Statutes. They allow doctors to apologize to patients when medical errors occur without fear of their apology being used against them in a malpractice claim.
For more, read “Physician behavior impacts malpractice claims rate — 5 takeaways” from Becker’s ASC Review.
