The single most powerful standard of care measurement today is customary care. “Customary care” is that care which would customarily be given by other physicians under the same or similar circumstances.[1] Customary care standards are meant to be empirical; they come from doctors asking a significant sample of their peers what they would do if Read More
The phrase “standard of care” has a different meaning across professions. For doctors, the standard of care is patient-centric. Sir William Osler wrote, “Medicine is a science of uncertainty and an art of probability.”[1] The medical standard of care is ideally a consensus of approved treatment modalities and the accepted variations inherent to the “art Read More
In 1949, a Montana forest fire engulfed a parachute brigade of firefighters. Panicking, they tried running up a seventy-six-percent grade and over a crest to safety. Their commander, a man named Dodge, saw that it wasn’t going to work. He stopped, took out some matches, and set the tall dry grass ahead of him on Read More
The HRSA created the following diagram to “simplify” the reporting process. Take a good look. It is important to note that State findings do not have to be publicly available to be reportable. https://www.npdb.hrsa.gov/hcorg/reportingStateLicensure.jsp
NPDB reports can have a very serious impact on a practitioner’s career. The reports are available to state licensing boards, hospitals, health plans, and other health care entities looking to enter into employment or affiliation relationships with a practitioner. Not only are the reports available to these organizations, but also in some instances entities are Read More
The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) was implemented by Congress in order to improve the quality of medical care and to restrict the ability of practitioners with a problematic past from moving state-to-state and billing government health care programs. National Practitioner Data Bank Reports The NPDB requires certain entities to report any negative action taken Read More
Informed consent is one of the most debated and litigated topics in healthcare law, yet it seems like there is no general consensus as to what it actually is. There unfortunately is no perfect document that would establish consent on every signature (if only!). While I wouldn’t pretend to have the ability to nail down Read More
I recently spoke with a physician who had just come out of a years-long legal slog. This physician owned his own practice and was in the habit of holding monthly staff meetings. He provided lunch at these meetings. One tragic day, he sent his receptionist out to get lunch for the meeting. She picked up Read More
For many dentists, that moment when you google yourself and find a negative review can push you right through all the stages of grief in a matter of moments: Denial – “That can’t be about me, there must be some mistake.” Anger – “Hey, I know who wrote that review. They were late, emotionally needy, Read More
