Across the spectrum of care, healthcare delivery is changing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues, creating additional pressures to maintain patient safety and shaping new liability risks for hospitals, group practices, and solo physicians.
Understanding how these new risk exposures are unfolding is the first step to taking protective measures.
Mr. Fleming offers his expert insights:
Q) What kinds of lawsuits do you expect to see linked to the COVID-19 pandemic?
A) Extraordinary circumstances and a steady stream of directives (and revisions thereto) from state and local governments have pressed physicians, practices, and hospitals to practice medicine in ways they never have before—or to not practice medicine, when certain elective forms of care have been suspended by government action, often to conserve PPE and other resources. In spite of reasonable efforts under difficult conditions, it’s likely that some adverse events will be traced to this time.
It is important to note that “elective†in this context does not mean unnecessary or optional. It includes important screening and diagnostic procedures such as colonoscopies, some cancer and cardiac surgeries, and most dental procedures. Delay of elective procedures may be a source of increased litigation—many biopsies for cancer, for instance, have lately been delayed, and delay in diagnosis was already one of the most expensive areas of litigation pre-COVID19.
Moreover, circumstances have forced physicians to use telemedicine in ways they usually might not. Telemedicine is ideally an adjunct to in-person care, and therefore not the best option for a first visit with a new patient, but during peak infection risk, exceptions had to be made.
Among our infrequent telemedicine claims pre-COVID-19, misdiagnosis of cancer was the top allegation, and I can’t imagine that risk of misdiagnosis has decreased, given the spike in telemedicine usage under nonoptimal conditions.
Q) As you’ve said, providers are delivering care differently during COVID-19. How do these changes diminish or increase risks?
A) Healthcare providers in hard-hit areas are working longer hours, sometimes with insufficient PPE, sometimes in large tents put up in parking lots or other overflow sites. In surge locations, staff from other departments may be covering in the emergency department (ED) or intensive care unit (ICU)—this is could increase the risk of communication gaps. All of these resource-stretching measures, taken together, may add up to a risk profile that is more than the sum of their parts.
In addition, by patient preference, many routine checkups and tests have been delayed, not to mention routine procedures. Adverse events linked to these delays could affect physician liability.Â
Q) What can physicians and practices do to protect themselves during the pandemic?
A) Conscientious documentation becomes a witness for the physician in the courtroom. In the COVID-19 era, practices may benefit from documenting not only individual patient interactions, but how the practice is following CDC infection control guidelines and recommendations from state and local health authorities at particular points in time. This could be as simple as jotting a daily note in an electronic calendar.
The guidelines suggested here are not rules, do not constitute legal advice, and do not ensure a successful outcome. The ultimate decision regarding the appropriateness of any treatment must be made by each healthcare provider considering the circumstances of the individual situation and in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which the care is rendered.
