in General.
Psychiatrists are the subject of relatively few patient complaints compared with other medical indemnity insurance clients. A recent BMJ Safety and Quality review of 18,907 Australian patient complaints shows 6% involved psychiatrists. However, psychiatrists are more likely than most other doctors to be called upon to provide evidence at coroners’ inquests, particularly those involving a … Read more
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The Australian and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists (ANZCA) subscribes to the Medical Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct and the Medical Council of New Zealand’s Code of Good Practice. Although the college is not a regulator and cannot award compensation or compel outcomes, it has a process in place to manage complaints against anaesthetists … Read more
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No notes, no defence is a well-known maxim among medical indemnity insurers. However, the question of how long to keep patient records can be vexing for doctors, especially those approaching retirement age, says Don Munro, a partner at HWL Ebsworth lawyers. “In an ideal world, medical records would be kept for the duration of a … Read more
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Doctors have a legal obligation not to issue a death certificate in the case of a reportable death, according to medico-legal expert Scott Chapman of HWL Ebsworth lawyers. There may be minor differences from state to state, but in NSW, for example, all deaths are reportable if the patient had not been attended to by … Read more
in General.
Three percent of doctors account for 50% of Australian patient complaints, according to a study published by BMJ Safety and Quality. The finding is based on an analysis of a national sample of all 18,907 formal patient complaints filed with health service ombudsman (‘Commissions’) against 11,148 individual doctors in Australia over 11 years. The researchers … Read more
Specialist healthcare sector underwriting agency Tego Insurance has launched three new products. After disrupting the Australian market with a doctors’ medical indemnity product which has grown to 1,400 insured doctors, Tego has now expanded its product suite to include entity medical malpractice; life sciences; and clinical trials. Tego CEO Eric Lowenstein says the medical indemnity … Read more
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Doctors with recent or current complaints have significant risks of moderate/severe depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, according to a large anonymous survey published in the BMJ. This is true regardless of whether the complaint is against a GP, an ophthalmologist, an anaesthetist, a gynaecologist-obstetrician, a surgeon or any other clinician. Most of the 7926 respondents … Read more
in General.
Formal complaints against psychiatrists, surgeons, obstetricians/gynaecologists, GPs and other doctors are on the rise and clinicians are increasingly turning to their medical indemnity insurance providers for support. For example, the Victoria Health Complaints Commissioner received 1244 complaints against medical practitioners in the 2017-18 financial year, 18% more than in 2016-17. In NSW, the number of … Read more
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The Emotional Stress of a Medical Malpractice lawsuit Let’s be clear- As a physician, it’s not a matter of if you will get sued, but when. About 35% of physicians in low-risk specialties and 88% of physicians in high-risk specialties are projected to face their first claims by the age of 45. By the age … Read more
in General.
Being sued for malpractice is a major concern to most healthcare professionals. But three are other insurance issues that must concern doctors: Medicare Investigations Coronial Inquests AHPRA / Medical Board Investigations. Medical Indemnity Insurance in Australia covers Medical Investigations, Coronial Inquests and Regulators – AHPRA / Medical Board Investigations Medicare Investigations Only a small percentage … Read more
