MGIS and Astute Doctor Address Physician Cross-Cultural Communication Medical Malpractice Risk
With 80% of malpractice litigation caused by unsatisfactory doctor communication, understanding cultural nuance is crucial in reducing the risk of malpractice lawsuits
SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 5, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The MGIS Companies, Inc. (MGIS), a leading provider of insurance products and services designed specifically for physicians, has partnered with Astute Doctor Education Inc. to add a new Cross-Cultural Communication course to the PREVENT risk management education program of CME courses for insured physicians. Founded on evidence-based, peer-reviewed research, the new course can help doctors improve cross-cultural communication skills and avoid related medical malpractice risk when treating patients of culturally diverse backgrounds.
"When dealing with patients from different cultures, it's easy to unknowingly make cultural gaffes that may put doctors at higher risk of medical malpractice litigation," said Sue Larsen, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer, Astute Doctor Education, Inc. "We are pleased to release this highly-demanded course that can help physicians avoid common cross-cultural mistakes."
The new course teaches the skills of delivering culturally competent consultations regardless of the doctor or patient's cultural heritage, and specifically explores important interpersonal considerations when treating five of the most common cultural heritage groups in the US today: African American, Latino, Middle Eastern, Chinese and Indian.
"With 70-80% of all medical malpractice litigation being caused by unsatisfactory doctor communication, it is important to equip our insured physicians with practical, evidence-based interpersonal techniques that can improve their interactions with patients and reduce their risk of being sued, especially where cross-cultural communication challenges may be involved," said Jeff Brunken, president, The MGIS Companies.
The PREVENT program offers CME-Certified web activities focused on improving doctor-patient communication and patient-experience. These activities have been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Online courses in the PREVENT program cover a broad range of communication scenarios, including Managing Difficult Patients, Building Strong Patient Relationships and Setting Mutually Agreed Treatment Goals. The online course format includes case studies, interactive diagrams, visual models, and audio narrations to assist doctors in learning and retaining these new skills.
The new Cross-Cultural Communication course is available to MGIS insured physicians by accessing http://www.astutedoctor.com/mgis/
About MGIS
The MGIS Companies, Inc. helps brokers, practice managers and other healthcare professionals create effective and targeted malpractice and disability insurance programs for physicians and medical professionals. For 45 years, the company has provided specialized group disability insurance, medical-professional liability insurance, and practice improvement ancillary products and services to more than 10,000 physician groups, 900,000 group members, and 300,000 physicians nationwide. The MGIS group disability policies are backed by Sun Life Financial®, one of the largest and highest-rated insurance companies in North America. The MGIS medical-professional liability insurance policies are backed by Freedom Specialty Insurance Company, a Nationwide® Company, rated A+ (Superior) by A.M. Best. For more information visit our website http://www.mgis.com.
About Astute Doctor, Inc.
Astute Doctor Education is a California-based, global education company committed to transforming healthcare through improved physician bedside manner. Astute Doctor provides a comprehensive suite of interpersonal skills courses that improves patient experience and health outcomes, improves healthcare efficiencies, and reduces physicians' risk of malpractice litigation. The PREVENT program has become an important part of MGIS' risk management program because it focuses on preventing medical malpractice claims from occurring, rather than simply providing management strategies for dealing with the situation once a claim has been made.
SOURCE The MGIS Companies, Inc.
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