Professional Allied Staff Courses

Friday, September 16, 2011
1:00PM - 2:30PM

Location

(C) 105A-B

AML01

The Surgical Staff's Role in Preventing Lawsuits and Utilizing Technology*

Arthur W. Curley, BS, JD
Assistant Professor, Dental Jurisprudence, Community Dentistry
Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific
Larkspur, CA

Synopsis

Staff are often the first and last persons to see and communicate with patients in an ambulatory care setting, as well as throughout treatment. Accordingly, staff play critical roles in preventing claims for malpractice. This program will review the legal issues and obligations faced by the modern oral and maxillofacial surgery office, as well as the risks for the uninformed and unprepared office team. The speaker will offer tips at claims avoidance, as well as present proven risk management tools for staff to implement to prevent or minimize complications such as wrong site surgery, nerve damage, runaway infections, and failed emergency procedures. This course will also discuss the legal issues presented by new technologies such as, digital records and communications, 3D imaging and computer guided surgery.

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this presentation, participants should be able to:

1. Obtain an updated understanding of the legal issues and risks facing staff and doctors in the modern ambulatory surgery office;
2. Learn the legal obligations for patient management, communications and record keeping; and
3. Understand the use and benefits of risk management tools such as confirming faxes, informed refusal documentation, and imaging in preventing claims.

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