Avoiding Lawsuits: Safety & Ethics for Acupuncture Clinics

Is your practice safe?

• Do you know what constitutes malpractice, what are “standards of care,” and who defines them?
• Do you have strategies for identifying and managing personal, professional and cross-cultural risk factors?
• Do you know the common features of malpractice suits and regulatory board complaints?
• Do you routinely provide and effectively document verbal face-to-face informed consent regarding risks prior to treatment?
• Is your documentation adequate for defense in litigation or complaints to regulatory boards? Does it include needle angle at high-risk locations?
• Can you recognize when you're in a "high-risk" relationship with a patient, and manage the situation without charges of discrimination in health care or "patient abandonment" that risk license suspension?
• Do your coding and billing practices raise red flags for health insurers that can trigger audits?

If you're unsure, these Classes and E-books are for you!

I invite you to benefit from my experience as an Expert Witness in malpractice litigation, complaints to regulatory boards, and insurance audits to help you manage risks while supporting sustainable practice growth.

--Anthony Von der Muhll, L.Ac., DNBAO, DAOM

Avoiding Lawsuits I: Essential Principles

2 Safety PDAs

• Common myths, misperceptions, and wishful thinking regarding suits & complaints -- and how to avoid them
• What constitutes malpractice?
• Knowing and managing personal, professional, and cross-cultural risk factors
• Overview of 10 essential risk management principles & practices
• Avoiding and managing higher-risk patient-practitioner relationships
• Setting & maintaining alignment of appropriate patient-practitioner goals

Avoiding Lawsuits II: Clarifying Gray Areas in Scope of Practice & Consent

2 Safety PDAs

• Providing and documenting effective verbal, face-to-face informed consent
  • Live webinar includes practice and instructor feedback
• Appropriate health education as a risk management strategy
• Clarifying common "gray areas" in state licensing laws and scope of practice
• Introduction to general Standards of Care for acupuncture professionals.

Avoiding Lawsuits III: Safety & Documentation

2 Safety PDAs

• Knowing Standards of Care, and who defines them and how they are established
• Standards of Care and best practices for avoiding, managing, and documenting safety procedures for:
  • Pneumothoraces: screening for risk-elevating factors; high-risk locations, safe vs. unsafe needle angles and depths
  • Nerve trauma and arterial puncture: high-risk locations, safe vs. unsafe needle angles and depths, and monitoring during needle penetration
  • Heat lamp and moxa burns: screening for risk-elevating factors; recognizing and managing accidental burns
  • Suction cups, including "wet" and "fire" cupping: knowing contraindications and screening for risk-elevating factors; avoiding and managing injuries
  • Gua sha: knowing contraindications, risk-elevating factors, and contraindicated areas; avoiding injuries
  • Slip-and-fall injuries: screening for risk-elevating factors and preventing accidental falls
  • And more...
• Recognizing warning signs that patients may file suits or complaints
• Managing patient complaints to minimize risks of escalation to suits and complaints

Avoiding Lawsuits IV: Ethics & Laws in Marketing and Billing

2 Ethics PDAs

• Avoiding allegations of misconduct
  • "False Advertising:" more serious than it sounds
  • Self-dealing and profiteering from unnecessary treatment: a slippery slope for acupuncturists
  • Fee-splitting and kickbacks: common, but usually illegal
  • Risk-elevating prepaid treatment "packages" and concierge practices, vs. safer alternatives
• Risks of social media marketing; managing negative reviews
• Best practices in fee-setting, collecting co-pays, and providing discounts
• Avoiding insurer audits: best practices in coding and billing
• Accessing further help when needed