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O U T P A T I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E | N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5
Could Your Front Desk Get You Sued?
Be careful who's dispensing advice to patients.
C
ould your front desk staff be
a medical malpractice risk?
They can be if they're dis-
pensing medical advice to patients
over the phone, as a recent case illus-
trates.
Faulty diagnosis
An appellate court recently ruled that
when a medical assistant gives faulty
medical advice to patients, it could
qualify as ordinary negligence — not
medical malpractice — making it
much easier for patients to sue you
and win.
This decision came from a case
involving a woman who underwent an
endometrial cryoablation in an OB-
GYN's clinic. A few days after the pro-
cedure, the patient was experiencing
increased pain in her abdomen, which
also radiated to her back. She called
the doctor's office and spoke to an
unlicensed medical assistant manning
the front desk.
The assistant listened to the patient's
description of her symptoms, including
pain, bleeding and changes in her
M E D I C A L M A L P R A C T I C E
Alex Stein, PhD
z MEDICAL OPINION? How does your
front desk handle calls from patients?
TELEPHONE TRIAGE
Front Desk
Do's and Don'ts
• Don't dole out healthcare
advice to patients
(it's against the law).
• Do forward all patient com-
plaints to doctors or other
licensed professionals
in a clear manner.
• Do follow a script of what to
say when patients call with com-
plaints or symptoms.
