CME/CE Education

Gastroenterology claims for medical malpractice have been historically small compared to other specialties.

The informed consent process varies widely across gastroenterology practices. A member survey conducted by the American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) showed that physicians routinely delegated the process to another person 30% of the time.

Hospitals work hard to care for patients and follow the law. But growing patient numbers and declining availability of emergency department services put hospitals at risk for an EMTALA violation.

This Internet activity will provide data and analysis of actual claims of EMTALA violations, showing what factors caused the patient claim to win and the hospital to lose.

The use of electronic media, such as videoconferencing, the Internet, and remote monitoring, to care for patients at distant locations can involve increased risk both for the healthcare provider and the patient. This article defines telehealth and telemedicine and examines how different types of  telemedicine consultation may affect patient safety and liability risk. Issues regarding state licensure and the role of the United States government are also explored.

The use of electronic media, such as videoconferencing, the Internet, and remote monitoring, to care for patients at distant locations can involve increased risk both for the healthcare provider and the patient. This collection of tips highlights issues that should be thought about and addressed before entering into telemedicine activities and during telemedicine practice.

Newborn infants are at risk for critical illness, intensive care requiring separation from the mother, long-term deficits and developmental delay when delivered early.

Twenty years ago, the AMA noted an alarming trend by physicians and hospitals: they were treating the terms “standard of care” and “clinical practice guidelines” virtually interchangeably, a trend that has only increased over time.

Operative vaginal delivery has a definite time and place in obstetric practice and is associated with reduced maternal complications compared to cesarean section.

The 40,000 emergency physicians in the US practice in a system described variously as broken, in crisis, and in critical condition.