LEXINGTON On May 20, Lexington Medical Society hosted a dinner social and symposium titled “Medical Litigation: A Survivors’ Toolkit” at the Signature Club. More than eighty registered physicians and guests attended this Kentucky Medical Association certified continuing medical education event with the objective of providing a cognitive framework for physicians to understand the medical litigation process and a toolkit of strategies to deal with it.
The symposium was co-chaired by Hope Cottrill, MD, president of the Lexington Medical Society and Andrew DeSimone, JD, of Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC. The symposium’s panel, in addition to the co-chairs, consisted of Steve Dickens, JD, MA, Ed, FACMPE, vice president of medical practice services at SVMIC; Katrina Hood, MD, FAAP, vice chair of the SVMIC board of directors; Margaret Pisacano, BSN, JD, deputy general counsel of medical risk management at the University of Kentucky, and Steven Smith, PhD, psychologist with the Woodland Wellness Group.
The panel provided a framework for physicians to understand the litigation process, from when they first receive the complaint from the court to completion, which could mean the case is dropped, settled, or has a court verdict. What was eye-opening for someone outside the legal profession was that, on average, a case could last three years or more. The panel highlighted mitigation and risk management strategies like the importance of detailed medical documentation and being careful not to comment on patient medical information on text messages or social media, all of which could be considered discoverable in court. The panel members also stressed the importance of self-care while enduring the emotional stress of navigating the lengthy legal process.
This was Lexington Medical Society’s third in its symposium format series with previous topics on the opioid epidemic and augmented intelligence. The event could not have happened without the support of title sponsor, D. Scott Neal, Financial Planners and Mercer Advisors, and gold sponsors SVMIC (State Volunteer Mutual Insurance Company), and Sturgill, Turner, Barker & Moloney, PLLC. Upcoming this fall will be QPR (Question, Persuade, & Refer): Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training on Oct 14, and a symposium on international medical missions on November 11.
For more information on Lexington Medical Society programs, services, and events go to lexingtondoctors.org.
