Page 20 - APP Collaboration - Assessing the Risk (Part One)

SVMIC Advanced Practice Provider Collaboration: Assessing the Risk

percent. Thoroughly and accurately documenting in the medical

record is not only crucial for patient care and continuity; it is also
your ethical and legal duty. The medical record tells the story

of patient care, provides for seamless communication among
healthcare providers, and is your best defense in a lawsuit.

This course will examine the issues and provide strategies to
improve your documentation to better protect you if your care is

challenged.

Liability Risks of Collaborative

Relationships

Before employing or entering into a

supervisory or collaborative agreement with
an APP, the most frequently asked question
from physicians is: Does the employment or

utilization of physician assistants and nurse

practitioners increase liability? There have
been numerous studies looking into the question. According to
the 2012 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

National Practitioner Data Bank Annual Report, of the 12,152

medical malpractice payments reported to the National
Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), only 5.9 percent involved
Professional Nurses, the category including Nurse Practitioners.
6
The most extensive study on the issue was conducted in 2009

by researchers for the Federation of State Medical Boards,
which looked at claims filed from 1991 to 2007 with the National
Practitioner Data Bank.
7

6 National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) 2012 annual report.
7 Hooker R, Nicholson J, Tuan L. Does the employment of physician assistants and nurse
practitioners increase liability? Journal of Medical Licensure and Discipline. 2009;9:6-16. http://
www.paexperts.com/Nicholson%20-%20Hooker%20Article.pdf Accessed September 4, 2016.

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