Welcome

Ronald S. Gibbs MDProfessor, Obstetrics and GynecologyAssociate Dean, Continuing Medical Education

Welcome

Richard D. Krugman MDDean, University of Colorado Denver School of MedicineVice Chancellor Medical Affairs

Welcome

Brock R. Wood, Esq.Program AttorneyColorado Bar Association CLE

Purpose

Ronald S. Gibbs MDProfessor, Obstetrics and GynecologyAssociate Dean Continuing Medical Education

Why this course? Why now ?• There are 85,000 medical malpractice lawsuits

filed each year, with estimated range of $11-29 Billion per year in costs

• Exposure to medical malpractice has been estimated to account for 5-9% of hospital expenditures.

R. Thaler and C. Sunstein. Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

• Medical liability premiums for Ob-Gyns are high and premiums for Ob Gyns represent the largest percent of income going to malpractice insurance of any specialty.

• There are errors in medical care, with an estimated 100,000 attributable deaths per year in the US*

• Patient safety is the number one priority in healthcare.

* Kohn, Corrigan, Donaldson, editors, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, 2000. Institute of Medicine Report.

Purpose

To provide multidisciplinary education in the medical and legal aspects of obstetrics practice

– presented in a collegial environment.

And, why not a collegial environment?

We have certain similarities

• MDs and Attorneys are well educated with relatively high social and economic status.

• Each profession has special knowledge, language and experience, not held by the “client” or “Patient” or by the public in general.

Doctors, Lawyers evaluate each other in new study. Physician Executive 2002 Mar-Apr; 28(2):20-5.

• Both professions are licensed, keep information confidential and have sworn duties to put clients’/patients’ needs first.

• Both have rapidly expanding knowledge base.

Doctors, Lawyers evaluate each other in new study. Physician Executive 2002 Mar-Apr; 28(2):20-5.

But – there are differences

In practice style – collegial vs. adversarial

In methods – scientific vs. Socratic approach

Each profession needs to know more about the other, from a

professional viewpoint.

May never be just ducky – but communication is a start!

THANK YOU• Course Faculty• Coordinators in the Office of Continuing Medical

Education CU School of Medicine and Continuing Legal Education in Colorado, Inc, Colorado Bar Association.

• Course Attendees

References• Richard H. Thaler, Distinguished Service Professor

of Behavioral Science & Economics, University of Chicago School of Business; Cass R. Sunstein, Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Harvard Law School. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Penguin Books. 2008.

• Linda t. Kohn, Janet M. Corrigan, Molla S. Donaldson, Editors – Committee on Quality Health Care in America, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System, 2000 Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press,

• Fitzgerald PE Jr. Division of Health Administration, University of Memphis. Doctors, Lawyers Evaluate Each other in New Study, 2000. Physician Executive 2002 Mar-Apr;28(2):20-5.