Proactive Pointers For Preventing Malpractice Lawsuits

Keys To Effective Documentation That Can Help You In Court
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Proactive Pointers For Preventing Malpractice Lawsuits

Although there is no way to avoid being sued, it is important to focus on methods to minimize litigation. Keeping your practice organized is one of the most important things you can do. An organized practice will provide you with a solid defense and is in the best interest of the patient. It is important to have excellent and well documented medical records at every step of the way.

It is especially important to document a patient’s non-adherence within the medical record. This could be one of the strongest defenses you will ever have in a malpractice case.

While you should document all pertinent information, you should avoid recording negative opinions or disparaging comments about the patient within the medical record. Although you are an active observer who should record all that you see, you should not editorialize after you make these observations. Remember that patients, their attorneys and their experts will eventually see these records. Inflammatory comments and opinions can incite legal action.

Amputation can be prevented when patients are treated by podiatric physicians: Study

From News-Medical.Net…
Amputation, one of the most devastating and costly consequences of diabetes, can be prevented when patients are treated by podiatric physicians.
That’s the finding of a national, large-scale study co-authored by Dr. James Wrobel, DPM, MS, Associate Professor of Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science.
“More than half of all amputations in the [...]

Expert Insights On Dispensing Wound Care Products In The Office

Dispensing wound care products in the office can facilitate patient convenience, patient adherence and a better continuity of care that fosters improved outcomes. Accordingly, this author provides an overview of products that could be dispensed to patients in the office as well as insights on inventory management, coding and reimbursement.

Making Room For Nerve Decompression In The Diabetic Limb Salvage Armamentarium

From Podiatry Today…
I read with interest the recent article on diabetic limb salvage (“How To Form A Diabetic Limb Salvage Team” in the June 2010 issue). Over the last 14 years, I have been significantly involved with wound care and limb salvage in the diabetic patient population. In 1998, I was asked to join the [...]

Ulcerated tophaceous gout

ABSTRACT

Gout is often considered a disease of an excessive lifestyle, a ‘malady of kings’. Today, more than 1% of the European and US populations are afflicted with gout, although ulceration over gout tophi remains uncommon. We describe four cases of ulceration associated with gout tophi to highlight the clinical presentation, complications and a management strategy.

How To Manage The Charcot Midfoot Deformity

Given the challenges of Charcot neuroarthropathy and the lack of guidelines for surgical treatment, this author offers a closer look at Charcot midfoot deformities as well as insights on addressing concomitant soft tissue infection and joint instability.

Charcot neuroarthropathy most commonly affects the foot and ankle, and is unfortunately becoming more prevalent over the last decade as the incidence of diabetes and its related complications continue to rise.1 The scientific literature is limited in regard to treatment protocols and guidelines for the overall surgical management of Charcot foot and ankle deformities.1-3 Some of the reasons for the lack of specific treatment recommendations may be largely due to the presence of the unique clinical scenario that is usually associated with each Charcot of the foot and ankle.

Accordingly, let us consider pertinent keys to the thorough evaluation of a Charcot midfoot deformity among various presentations and the surgical rationale for addressing the vast majority of Charcot midfoot deformities.