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| There's no doubt the potential for a malpractice suit is a threat for today's health care professionals. On any given day, there are 120,000 pending malpractice claims, and one in every six doctors has a claim brought against him or her annually, according to the Health Coalition on Liability and Access. |
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| But contrary to popular perception, medical mistakes are not the only reason. In fact, experts say, many errors that result in malpractice allegations are actually due to small-time clerical errors. |
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| The good news is that technology can help reduce or eliminate many of these problems without increasing the time your staff has to spend on clerical or administrative tasks. The right use of technology can help you avoid malpractice risks. |
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| Many of the ways you can reduce your malpractice risks involve using technology to better track and access patient information and records. For instance, key patient data such as allergies and current medications need to be where you and your staff can check them instantly, especially during emergency treatment. |
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| Contact with your patients out of the office is also key. Your staff also needs to be able to follow up on test results, referrals and return appointments--all areas where a clerical error may lead to a patient health problem, and a potential malpractice claim. Email can help with many routine patient queries and contacts, and can serve as supporting court documentation, if needed. In fact, some insurers now reimburse for some email patient consultations. |
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| An erroneous prescription can jeopardize patient health and lead to a malpractice claim. By switching to e-prescribing software, you can eliminate potential problems caused by illegible or misread handwriting or lost paper forms. |
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| Keeping records of all patient interactions is another area where technology can be very helpful. Documenting patient conversations and consultations can be one of the most time-consuming aspects of medicine--and the most important evidence when a lawsuit threatens. Keeping records current is an ongoing struggle. Technology can help by making it easy to create and edit records digitally. |
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| Strengthening your technology infrastructure can support a reduction in errors and possible malpractice claims. Components may include: |
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Wireless networking equipment and portable devices. With information access available everywhere in your organization, the staff can access patient records, check for interactions or allergies, and keep on top of changing data at all times. See HP wireless networking products, Tablet PCs, notebooks or handheld PCs . |
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Printing devices. By having printers available to make hard copies of information for patients throughout your organization, you'll be able to print documents for reference. See HP printers and all-in-ones. |
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Server and/or storage devices. By moving communication and records over to electronic form, you're going to need plenty of storage for those files. You will also need a robust backup system to ensure valuable patient data is protected in the case of disaster. See HP servers, storage systems or virtual backup service information. |
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| Note: HP offers a discount program for savings up to 10% for health professionals. Learn more before you purchase. |
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| You can take immediate steps to improve your administrative tasks through the use of technology. |
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Set up a wireless network and equip doctors and other staff with Tablet PCs and/or handhelds that allow them to view, edit and send patient records, consultation documentation, and other important information from anywhere in the office. |
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Begin planning an implementation of an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system. |
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Check into using email as an alternate means to give advice, schedule appointments and send out reminders. The evidence trail it leaves is superior to undocumented phone conversations. |
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Evaluate medical practice software that can automate patient alerts, test result distribution, and appointment scheduling. |
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