Knowledge Library

A medical directorship may seem like a reasonable way to bring in extra income without investing a lot of time and effort. However, depending on the arrangements, a medical director’s duties can be extensive and the liability issues not always obvious. Therefore, it is important to understand the legal, regulatory, and professional liability coverage issues prior to accepting a medical director position.

In the following case, the group’s medical director over-utilized medical assistant (MA) externs for cost-saving purposes. Because he did not understand how his plan was putting patients at risk, he was resistant to negative input from his colleague. The physician conflict exacerbated the inherent risks of the externship program.

Physicians sometimes call NORCAL Group Risk Management department for advice after a patient has posted a negative review online. Some callers want confirmation that fighting back in court or online is appropriate, but these seemingly satisfying solutions can backfire.

Issuing a refund or reimbursement to a dissatisfied patient may seem like a simple solution to a potentially complicated problem. However, there are many different issues to consider that may not be immediately apparent.

Like other people, physicians and clinical staff members may commit crimes and engage in other noncriminal activity that can expose their healthcare employers to liability and regulatory violation risk.¹ Therefore, it is important to have processes in place to conduct background investigations on any staff member involved in patient care and practice operations, even those with personal references from current clinicians or staff.