All physicians know a medical record must be maintained on each patient. Why? Medical record documentation is required by state and federal laws. Proper documentation is important for continuity of patient care and necessary to receive reimbursement for services rendered. The patient’s medical record is a legal record of the care you provide to the patient and is a valuable tool in your defense should a medical malpractice lawsuit be brought against you.
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Introduction to Integrative Medicine
Integrative medicine is an approach to wellness that is growing in popularity in the United States. It is patient-centered and combines conventional medicine and complementary medicine to treat the person as a whole. It addresses many factors, including the physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and environmental influences on a person’s health status. Integrative medicine focuses on the broader concepts of health that promote a person’s overall health and future well-being. Reviews and clinical studies have shown positive outcomes for patients and providers who participate in integrative medicine programs.
Benefits of Integrative Medicine
Complementary therapies are not used to replace conventional treatments. They are used in conjunction with conventional medicine to enhance and complement treatment. Complementary therapies include diet therapy, herbal supplements, probiotics and vitamins, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, meditation, yoga, acupuncture, chiropractic, reflexology, and therapeutic massage. Integrative medicine practitioners include professionals of many disciplines, including medical doctors, nurse practitioners, doctors of osteopathic medicine, naturopaths, chiropractors, mental health professionals, mind-body specialists, massage therapists, and acupuncturists.
Many patients can benefit from integrative medicine, especially patients with chronic or complex medical conditions such as cancer, chronic pain, depression, diabetes, hypertension, fibromyalgia, and many other conditions. Complementary therapies may help people living with such conditions to achieve better appetite, improved cognitive functioning, pain relief, reduced anxiety, and improved sleep.
Risks and Challenges Related to Integrative Medicine
While there are many benefits to integrative medicine, there are some risks to be aware of. Integrative medicine often involves care from multiple practitioners. This may involve multiple appointments for the patient to keep. Providers may disagree on the plan of care since complementary therapies and traditional Western medicine have different philosophies. Some complementary therapies have side effects or interact negatively with conventional treatments.
As a medical provider, it’s important for you to be aware of the benefits and risks of any complementary or conventional therapies a patient is receiving. Complementary therapies should only be used if proven to be effective, safe, and appropriate for a person’s individual health status. Open communication with your patients and their providers is crucial to optimize patient outcomes and maintain a good physician-patient relationship.
Get More Resources and Information to Stay Educated
It is critical to educate yourself on the various integrative medicine options. The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health website has resources for healthcare providers that includes an A-Z listing of various health products and practices, including information about the safety and effectiveness of the products and practices. It also includes evidence-based resources, such as research results and clinical practice guidelines, which will help prepare you to discuss complementary health approaches with your patients.
If you are not insured with OUM, fill out our online form to get a no-obligation quote.
“OUM” and “OUM Chiropractor Program” do not refer to a legal entity or insurance company but to a program or symbol of a program underwritten, insured, and administered by ProAssurance. The information contained on the OUM Chiropractor Blog does not establish a standard of care, nor does it constitute legal advice. The information is for general informational purposes only. We encourage all blog visitors to consult with their personal attorneys for legal advice, as specific legal requirements may vary from state to state. Links or references to organizations, websites, or other information is for reference use only and do not constitute the rendering of legal, financial, or other professional advice or recommendations. All information contained on the blog is subject to change.
What Workplace Bullying Looks Like
Bullying is harmful, targeted behavior that may be directed to one person, or a group of people. It might be spiteful, offensive, mocking, or intimidating. Bullying can range from being overtly obvious, such as yelling, to subtle, such as using condescending language. It is a repeated behavior that manifests from a real or perceived power imbalance and is often intended to control, embarrass, undermine, threaten, or otherwise harm the targeted person or group.
Understanding What Leads to Common Malpractice Claims
The most common allegations in chiropractic malpractice claims are related to these three things:
While most healthcare providers are compassionate and want to provide optimal care to their patients, everyone has biases and knowledge gaps that may hinder the provision of quality healthcare. These biases and knowledge gaps can lead to:
- Barriers to care
- Miscommunications
- Misdiagnosis
- Lack of trust
Occasionally, there is good news about compliance and risk. Good news came to every licensed healthcare practitioner in the nation on January 5, 2021, when the HITECH Act was amended with the new HIPAA Safe Harbor Law (HR 7898). This change created safe harbors under the law, but only if acted upon by the healthcare professional to protect themselves and their practice.
Finding yourself in a situation where a patient is unhappy with their treatment and asking for a refund, what should be your response? For example, you may feel that your work is satisfactory, and you are unwilling to provide a refund to the patient considering all the time you spent on their care. Or you may be seeking a quick resolution to the situation. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how to handle patient refunds.
What is the Role of Empathy in Healthcare?
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It combines intellectual perspective with emotional understanding. Empathy is a skill that has not been historically emphasized in medical schools. However, it plays a crucial role in healthcare.
You’re a very busy chiropractor. With so much to do in a limited amount of time, you may only think about malpractice insurance once a year—at your renewal. You may even say to yourself, “I provide the best possible care to my patients and my records are impeccable. I’m not going to get sued, so why do I have to pay for malpractice insurance?”
You can practice the best of care, follow every protocol and keep meticulous records, but that still won’t prevent a claim being filed against you. Yes, all those measures may reduce your risk, but ultimately, it’s out of your control and in the hands of your patient. Simply put, claims are filed every day; some are legitimate and others are frivolous. You shouldn’t live in fear of being sued, but you also shouldn’t ignore the fact that it’s a real possibility.
You may believe that if you’re uninsured or “go bare,” you’re less of a target of being sued. You may even think that when your patient’s attorney finds out you don’t have malpractice insurance, he/she will drop the case because there’s less potential for substantial financial gain if the case is won. While this may happen in very rare instances, the fact is that the attorney can still go after your personal assets, livelihood and reputation.
Another factor to consider is that a malpractice claim can be filed against you after you retire. Imagine if you were traveling the world and then came home to find out that you were being sued by a patient you treated before your long-awaited retirement. Everything you worked so long and hard for and all the finances you saved to cover your expenses during retirement could be in jeopardy. However, if you had a claims-made policy while you were practicing and purchased tail coverage after the policy was terminated, but the incident happened during the time the policy was active, the policy may protect you against that claim.
As you can see, a patient can file a malpractice claim against you whether or not you carry malpractice insurance. It doesn’t matter whether you are an actively practicing chiropractor or retired—the threat of a lawsuit is still a concern. This can seem daunting, but there’s a simple solution that can give you peace of mind–a solution that’s not only necessary, but essential to the success of your practice. It’s to continuously carry malpractice insurance while you’re actively practicing and obtain tail coverage when you retire. With malpractice insurance, you can rest assured that you have a team of professionals helping protect you and your practice should a claim arise.
Don’t let one lawsuit take away the practice, reputation and lifestyle you worked tirelessly to build. The price of a malpractice policy is minimal compared to the financial loss a lawsuit can bring. Ask yourself this question, “Can I afford to be uninsured?”
If you don’t have malpractice insurance with OUM, now is the time to obtain coverage. Our team of knowledgeable professionals is readily available and happy to help you. At OUM, we’re with you. Every step of the way.
Contact us today for coverage information. Fill out our online form to get a no-obligation quote.