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March 19, 2009 NEWSLETTER
Doug Wojcieszak, Founder & Spokesperson
Contact phone/e-mail address: 618-559-8168; doug@sorryworks.net
THIS WEEK'S EDITION:
Reminder: Registration Deadline Nearing for Teaching and Implementing Disclosure Audio Conference, April 9th, 1pm EDT
Questions from the road
Sorry Works! Visiting Your Neck of the Woods?
REMINDER: REGISTRATION DEADLINE NEARING FOR TEACHING AND IMPLEMENTING DISCLOSURE AUDIO CONFERENCE; 1PM EDT ON APRIL 9TH
The registration deadline is drawing near for the April 9th audio conference on teaching and implementing disclosure.
How do you teach disclosure & apology to your staff and how do you implement disclosure are hot questions in healthcare today. The Sorry Works! Coalition and Stevens & Lee are proud to offer an audio conference "case study" which will provide listeners with insights into how the University of Illinois Medical Center launched a disclosure program and how they train their staff, residents, and students on disclosure & apology.
The disclosure & apology program at the University of Illinois Medical Center has been operating successfully in the tough litigation venue of Cook County, and their successes have been featured recently in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, and many other prominent popular and trade publications. In fact, the UI's disclosure program has become a model for other hospitals and insurers to follow and the program's leaders are sought-after speakers. Now you can hear them live in your own office or conference room. Join the audio conference to learn how UI leaders launched their program and hear about the successes they are experiencing. Also, listen in to hear how they train staff, residents, and students on disclosure and apology principles. Indeed, this is a "can't miss" audio conference for all parts of the medical/hospital community, including medical school faculty and personnel.
The speakers for the event include Dr. Tim McDonald, MD, JD, Chief Safety and Risk Officer for Health Affairs at the University of Illinois, and Dr. David Mayer, MD, associate dean for curriculum, director of cardiothoracic anesthesiology, and co-director of the Institute for Patient Safety Excellence (IPSE) at the UIC College of Medicine. CME credits will be provided for attendees of the conference.
You can access registration form by clicking on this link: http://www.sorryworks.net/pdf/audiosw2.pdf.
Thank you and we look forward to you joining us April 9 at 1pm EDT.
QUESTIONS FROM THE ROAD
Over the last week Sorry Works! made presentations to physicians, business managers, and attorneys for an Indiana risk-retention group (RRG) as well as members of the Connecticut Hospital Association. Great presentations, and some great questions from the audiences below we want to share with you.
Interested in a Sorry Works! presentation? Contact doug@sorryworks.net or call 618-559-8168.
Question #1:
I'm a trauma surgeon, so I generally don't establish a relationship with patients/families ahead of time, and I generally have contact with people for only a short period of time after a surgery. Unless it's an obvious adverse event or error, I may not know something is wrong until a year afterwards when I'm being served with papers. What can I do in such a situation, especially if I think I didn't make a mistake? Can I reach back out to that patient/family and try to convince them I gave proper care?
Answer #1:
You are right that certain specialties such as trauma surgery, radiology, and emergency medicine, for example, may be areas of practice where doctors do not always have the opportunity to develop relationships with patients/families prior to an event, and these specialties sometimes have limited to no contact with a patient/family after an event. However, it does not mean that enhanced post-adverse event communication would not be beneficial to you.
This is where event management is important. Event management should be a collaborative process that transcends the settings. Healthcare organizations should have an event management policy to deal with adverse events so that you are included in the post-event management and communication. Such a process can help reduce the number of times that you are shocked to learn of an adverse outcome when you are served with legal papers. Further, if legal papers would be served, the good news is that you will have the event management evidence to support you - to derail the claim or lessen its severity.
Question #2:
Our hospital has a newer disclosure program and its starting to show some positive results. We're encouraged. However, one of our stumbling blocks is dealing with independent providers who have their own insurance. In cases where an error occurred and we're partially at fault but an independent provider is also partially at fault, what do we do?
Answer #2:
We have seen where collaboration has begun long before the adverse event has happened. For example, some programs - sometimes begun by the insurer! - have collaborated with their doctors, hospitals, and hospital association to provide disclosure education and training. This allows all of those parties, whose interests are aligned, to be on the same page from the start on disclosure and post-adverse event communication. That way, when an event does occur, a collaborative approach to disclosure can occur. For your situation, as you work to further develop and refine your disclosure program, reach out to the independent physicians and their insurers with an offer to join a program that can reduce frequency and severity for all involved parties.
Comment from attorneys:
We heard from several defense attorneys over the last two weeks tell us how Sorry Works! is a "breath of fresh air" and will be extremely helpful to them getting involved early in cases while evidence is still building and opinions/stances - on both sides - are still pliable. These attorneys said that suggestions on documenting the chart accurately - and completely - after disclosure meetings would build great evidence for them. Furthermore, they said the empathetic, caring conversations would allow them to tell a positive story in court when they are trying a case with defensible medical care....and in no way would they omit this evidence from their cases as called for by so-called apology immunity laws found in 35 states. Indeed, we're starting to find lots of converts in the defense bar!!
SORRY WORKS! VISITING YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS?
We are in the middle of the busy Spring speaking schedule at Sorry Works! There are several speaking engagements coming up where you might be able to see Sorry Works! Check the schedule below, and if we're not in a town near you, give us a call at 618-559-8168 or e- mail doug@sorryworks.net to schedule a Sorry Works! presentation for your own Grand Rounds, hospital leadership, insurance company leadership, medical association members, etc.
Here's the schedule:
March 30th, Costa Mesa, CA, California Association for Healthcare Quality, www.cahq.org.
April 10th, Case Western Law School Forum, Cleveland, OH
April 16th - New Jersey - closed evening engagement but time during day and day before (April 15th) to make additional presentations...contact doug@sorryworks.net or 618-559-8168
April 17th - San Diego, Hospital Association of Southern California (www.hasc.org)
April 23rd - Las Vegas, Collins Insurance Meeting (www.collins.com)
May 4th - Tampa, Crittenden's annual meeting - we won't be speaking here, but will be attending the "Sorry Works" forum and will have a booth. Please stop by.
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