APMA News - July/August 2024 - 23

coverage corner
How Can You Reduce the Risk?
* Document all conversations with the patient
and family. Document patient education, postoperative
instructions, questions asked by the
patient and your answers, any patient concerns,
and your responses.
* Give your patient your full attention. It is
important for the patient to feel heard and
respected. Avoid judgment, demonstrate interest
in the patient, avoid interruptions, be sincere,
concentrate on what the patient is communicating
verbally and nonverbally, and address each of
the patient's concerns.
* Continually assess the patient's expectations.
Make sure you and your patient are on the same
page. If the patient has unrealistic expectations,
take the time to provide additional education.
Involvement of a family member, or caretaker
may be necessary to enlist their aid in helping
the patient develop realistic expectations. Again,
document all patient education and instructions.
* Promptly address and inform patients of postoperative
complications. Inform patients if they
are not progressing as expected or if they are experiencing
problems such as a delay in healing,
infection, poor surgical outcome, or any other
complications. What are the treatment options?
How is it going to affect the patient's recovery?
It is much better for a patient to hear about
complications or a poor outcome from you than
from a subsequent treating provider.
* Assess and document patient compliance or
noncompliance. Document patient statements of
noncompliance and your observations of noncompliance
(e.g., a dirty cast bottom when the patient
was instructed to be non-weight bearing). Try
to determine the reason for any noncompliance
and work with the patient to remove or address
barriers, if possible. Document your discussions
with the patient regarding the risks of noncompliance.
If a patient suffers a bad outcome because
of their own actions or inactions, it is much easier
to defend allegations of malpractice against the
physician if the patient's noncompliance is documented
in the medical record.
For more risk management articles, visit PICA's
" INSIGHTS " blog at https://blog.picagroup.com/
en/blog. You will find a plethora of important
resources that help podiatric medical physicians
run their practices smoothly and provide
exceptional care to their patients.
Disclaimer: The information contained in this
article does not establish a standard of care, nor
does it constitute legal advice. The information is
for general informational purposes only. Readers
are encouraged 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 are for reference use only and do
not constitute the rendering of legal, financial, or
other professional advice or recommendations.
All information contained in this article is subject
to change.
APMA gratefully acknowledges the support of PICA in providing Coverage Corner
to help inform and educate readers.
APMA.ORG
apmanews
23
https://blog.picagroup.com/en/blog https://blog.picagroup.com/en/blog http://www.APMA.ORG
APMA News - July/August 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of APMA News - July/August 2024
