Practice Better Radiology to Avoid Malpractice Lawsuits

Regardless of their specialties, doctors might find themselves on the receiving end of a malpractice suit at one point. These legal proceedings can interfere with revenue cycle management at medical imaging practices, leading to radiologists being more cognizant of how they interact and treat patients.

The American College of Radiology explained that “bad” doctors are not the only ones who can get sued. Every year, radiologists have a 1 in 3 chance of having a malpractice suit filed against them. The most common are associated with a failure to either accurately diagnose a disease or communicate with patients and referring physicians in a timely manner. Roughly 33 percent of all malpractice claims are lost by the defending radiologist, and this number continues to rise.

Radiologic errors are the main contributing factor to lawsuits, but they are not equated with clinical negligence. That scenario occurs when the degree of error exceeds an expected standard to the point where a doctor is blatantly not performing his or her duties as a clinician.

Inaccurate diagnoses are the major reason radiologists are sued, the ACR continued. They commonly miss cancers, with breast and lung malignancies having the largest percentage of cases, and spine fractures.

Minimizing risk of malpractice
Speaking at the International Symposium on Multidetector-Row CT, Jeffrey Mendel, M.D., of Tufts University School of Medicine, offered several ways for radiologist and other physicians to minimize their risk of malpractice lawsuits.

“Only the mediocre are at their best every day,” said Mendel, quoted by AuntMinnie.com. “And since none of us are mediocre, none of us will be at our best all the time, so we have to build systems into our practices to keep us performing at the highest level.”

In order to avoid any possible legal actions, Mendel suggested that radiologists:

• Collect as much significant medical history as possible, including technologist observations and intake forms
• Communicate and thoroughly document any correspondence, especially if it pertains to significant abnormal findings or additional diagnostic imaging procedures
• Utilize checklists when conducting exams
• Understand common problem areas with CT scans, such as scout images and soft tissues on spine CT.

Essentially, doctors need to practice better radiology to avoid malpractice. Keeping PACS systems up to date and following extensive recording protocols for all clinical appointments are just a few of the methods that can help physicians reduce the risk of lawsuits.

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