Trust - TMLT

undJANE HOLEMANVice PresidentRisk ManagementDuring the practicereview, a risk managementrepresentativeidentifies areas specificto a physician’s practicethat make him orher especially vulnerableto possible claims.A significant amount of time and energy of theentire Risk Management Department was focusedon coordinating, developing, and presenting thefall seminar series, You’ve Been Sued:Successfully Navigating the Litigation Process.We identified a need for educating physicianswho may be involved in a lawsuit, on the importance of taking an activerole in their defense, especially preparing for deposition. We also wanted tofocus on the emotional impact that a claim or lawsuit has on physicians andtheir families. This was a collaborative project between the Claim and RiskManagement Departments with planning meetings beginning in February2005. Defense attorneys drafted scripts from actual depositions and playedthe roles of plaintiff’s attorneys. The deposition scenarios included riskmanagement messages reinforcing the importance of thorough documentation,legible handwriting, informed consent discussions, and avoidance ofrecord alteration. Incorporating basic risk management processes into medicalpractice will assist physicians in their defense in the event they areinvolved in litigation.Throughout the year we spent countless hours working with a productioncompany, resulting in a DVD that depicted various deposition scenarios.This demonstrated physician responses to the oft-times intimidating questionsof a plaintiff’s attorney. Their responses had the potential for ultimatelybeing either helpful or detrimental to a successful defense. We used the“local talent” of our Claim Department supervisors to play the roles of thephysicians. With their experience attending depositions and trials and beingfamiliar with the attitudes and emotions of physicians going through the litigationprocess, they did an excellent job!The DVD, Successfully Navigating Your Deposition, was incorporatedinto a 3-hour live seminar that was presented last fall in six locations acrossthe state. This resulted in a risk management educational activity that wascreative, informative, entertaining, and engaging. The program was atremendous success with approximately 1,000 physicians attending, a 68%increase over attendance at the 2004 fall seminar series. An obstetrician/gynecologist from Ft. Worth wrote in his program evaluation, “I have beento many of these types of courses, but this one was THE BEST ever… thepresentation was outstanding!”“Risk management generally has the most frequentcontact with policyholders and is in an excellentposition to build relationships that establish trust.”TRUST - The Annual Report Magazine11