Page 19 - APP Collaboration - Assessing the Risk (Part One)

SVMIC Advanced Practice Provider Collaboration: Assessing the Risk

Some examples of administration issues include:

• Patient was given injections in hip while standing and
fainted, causing skull fracture and subarachnoid/subdural

bleed

• Improper Kenalog injection caused dimpling of thigh

• Improper joint injection caused an infected shoulder joint
requiring surgery

• Medications ordered and never administered

• Cervical spine trigger point injection resulted in collapsed
lung

Closely monitoring medications often requires utilizing
standardized tools and guidelines, as patients are usually

under the care of multiple medical providers. Liability experts
anticipate even further increases in the number of drug-related

claims as physicians and APPs see more patients and patients
move between insurance plans and providers. More patients

are prescribed high-risk medications requiring appropriate
monitoring, counseling, and patient understanding. The best

way to protect the practice is to develop written procedures to
cover the acquisition, maintenance, storage, dispensing, and

administration of medications and to ensure conformity with all
applicable federal and state regulations.

Documentation

Documentation issues contributed to 16 percent of claims, with

inadequate or omitted documentation representing 75 percent.
Electronic health record (EHR) issues represented 17 percent

and inappropriate documentation represented the remaining 8

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