5 Reasons Doctors Are 'Non-Standard'

Non-standard physicians and surgeons are practicing doctors who have had claims frequency or severity issues or board actions or have been previously or are currently on probation. It can often be difficult for non-standard physicians to find affordable malpractice insurance coverage because they are considered a higher risk by insurance companies. Typically, a doctor remains in the non-standard market for about five years, provided once they enter the non-standard market they have kept themselves clean. In this post, we examine the top five reasons doctors become non-standard physicians. #1 Claims – The common reasons for claims filed against physicians include: poor communication, poor bedside manner, erroneous documentation and failure, delay or change in diagnosis. To reduce the likelihood of lawsuits and claims, physicians might take just a few minutes of extra time to answer all questions and address all concerns. Patients and their families will walk away feeling as though they had all the information, even if a bad outcome occurred. They will be much less likely to seek the counsel of an attorney. Click here to read our blog post Top 5 Reasons Doctors Get Sued. #2 Lack of informed consent – Informed consent should occur with every patient encounter. Patients must be informed on the details of their options, especially when care involves an invasive or new, cutting-edge procedure. Top breaches in informed consent that lead a doctor to the non-standard market include the use of non-FDA approved medications, and new or innovative procedures. Physicians should engage with a risk management consultant to learn best practices and get risk management advice specific to a particular practice specialty, especially those that are considered high-risk. #3 Substance abuse issues – While physicians are about as likely to abuse alcohol or illegal drugs as any member of the general public, they are more likely to misuse prescription drugs. The motivation for this often initially includes the relief of stress or pain or to stay alert when suffering from sleep deprivation. Physicians often work strange hours and long shifts, especially in the ER. The cycle often begins by using medication to stay awake and alert to manage the stress and the hours. These stresses combined with easy access to medications can lead to substance abuse issues. #4 High-risk practice profile – Physicians in a practice with higher claim ratios automatically fall into the category of “high risk.” Examples of high-risk specialties include: bariatric surgery, OB/GYN, neurosurgery, plastic surgery and pain management. These specialties are either composed of high-risk and invasive procedures such as in the case of surgeons or they are prescribing medications that are new or dangerous, such as with weight-loss or pain-management clinics. Physicians in these practices will most likely have to remain in the non-standard market throughout their entire careers. #5 Poor record keeping – Following a bad outcome or an adverse event, the first thing that the patient’s attorney will request is a copy of medical records. These will be scrutinized. Any incorrect or conflicting information contained within the medical record will prove problematic for the physician’s case. Accurate and thorough record keeping proves especially challenging for older physicians, who may have been away from practice for some time and re-enter wanting to pick up where they left off. Or perhaps they are just resistant to change. Medical clinics are now using electronic medical records (EMR), which provides a more streamlined and accurate system of record keeping; they even have informed consent forms built right in. From a risk management perspective, EMR is highly encouraged. Bottom Line – Physicians should consult a clinical risk management expert for help in developing strategies to decrease the risk of becoming a non-standard physician. Thorough protocols covering documentation, informed consent and communication will all prove invaluable in risk reduction. It’s also important that doctors are honest about their personal bandwidth when it comes to patient load capacity, stamina for extended work hours, overall physical and emotional health and stresses that may be coming from personal circumstances. These factors are important to consider and if not tended to can lead to events that have a long and lasting impact on a doctor’s ability to practice medicine.