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.

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. 

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“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.

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

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.

In a word, yes. Many chiropractors significantly underestimate how much a breach will cost, and think they can self-insure it. Outlining what will happen in the event of a breach is very useful when understanding the value of cyber liability coverage. Below are a variety of claims scenarios that help illustrate the severity of cyber claims, and how widespread cyber breach activities are throughout the healthcare industry.

Scenario 1
Employees of a large chiropractic group discovered that their email accounts were not accessible. The group’s IT department investigated and discovered that a ransomware attack infected 10 servers and 50 workstations. The group had to close operations for two business days and suffered losses in relation to the event.

Cyber insurance covered a total of $83,050, as follows: