JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Full disclosure: I was not always the smooth, confident provider I hope I am today. No, there was a time when I would say or do things while practicing medicine that would shine a bright light upon my medical inexperience, naiveté, or general ignorance. To wit, the emergency medicine residents where I trained were pressed into servitude twice yearly to go out to the local high schools and perform …
Read MoreHow to Get Sued for Malpractice: Four Studies In Self-Destruction
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP In the past, I have written about how to avoid getting named in a medical malpractice action. But it can often be instructive to view things from the opposite perspective. So this time, let’s turn it around and actually try to get named in a malpractice suit. It usually only takes one of the following misadventures: Practice bad medicine and have a bad outcome Practice good medicine, communicate/document poorly, …
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Dealing with the Disruptive Doctor
Urgent message: When a physician is dubbed “Tom the Terror,” turning a blind eye can send patients and staff heading for the exit, wreck your reputation, and spark a lawsuit. Here’s what to do instead.LEONARD D. GOODSTEIN, PHD, ABPP, and JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Tom P. is a competent, board-certified emergency physician. He is liked and respected by his patients. But Tom‘s relationships with staffers at the urgent care center where he still …
Read MoreEvery Man His Own Doctor
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP While treating patients in the emergency department, I occasionally marvel at the changes I have witnessed over my 25 years in medicine. Sometimes I think, “Thank God I did not treat you 25 years ago, because if I had, I would have done (fill in the blank), it would not have worked, and you would have probably hated every second of it.” I am as old as Moses, so …
Read MoreMalpractice Insurance: A Primer for Urgent Care Clinicians
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP The possibility of being sued for medical malpractice, while not a pleasant prospect, is not something that should be causing you sleepless nights. Much like flood insurance, malpractice insurance exists for times when an unexpected event occurs and may require some payment for damages. Your goal should simply be to have adequate coverage for those times. And, let’s face it, there may be such times. Good providers do get …
Read MoreThe Unsociable Network
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I work with a non-physician professional in the emergency department. She is very intelligent, practical, and always helpful. There is only one small issue: many of her posts on her Facebook page are overtly anti-patient. She frequently rants about the stupid patients, how “bad” the clientele we treat act and how, ultimately, they get what they deserve. Despite her obvious intelligence, she has not realized that what she posts …
Read MoreAccountable Care Organizations, Where do Urgent Care Centers Fit?
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Under the Affordable Care Act, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will pioneer a number of new projects which affect the delivery of healthcare in the United States. Among these projects, the most ambitious is the proliferation of the Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Other initiatives include pay-for-performance (P4P) and quality improvement agendas proffered by organizations responsible for accreditation, all focusing on clinical delivery pathways or “care paths.” The …
Read MoreLike Super Good Written, Verbal and Non-verbal Communication and Stuff
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP I will begin this short essay by admitting that I am not always the best or most appropriate in terms of my style or manner of communication, which is no news to my two relatives who make up half the readership of these articles. I have also learned over the years to take most things with a grain of salt (particularly if it is followed by a shot of …
Read MoreManagement v. Leadership, 558 U.S. 461 (2010)
JOHN SHUFELDT, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP Recently, I had the amazing opportunity to be admitted to the Bar of the United States Supreme Court, which simply means that I could conceivably argue cases in front of the Court. After being sworn in by Chief Justice Roberts, our group of newly admitted attorneys was privileged to have front-row seats to hear two landmark cases, the second of which I will share with you in detail. The …
Read MorePreventing the “Delta Uniform,” or, Malpractice Reduction in the Urgent Care Center
John Shufeldt, MD, JD, MBA, FACEP A few years ago, I flew over to San Diego to watch the Red Bull Air Races. A friend of mine who is pilot occupied the right seat and another friend (also a pilot) was in the back of the plane seated with another friend. As we got closer to San Diego, I noticed that a thick inversion layer (dense fog) blanketed the coast. The lack of visibility required …
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