Do Physicians With More Complaints Get More Lawsuits? Malpractice Expert, Dr. Gerald Hickson

Today we're going to explore a topic that (while not always fun to discuss) is critically important to you and your patients. To help us out, we're joined by Dr. Gerald Hickson. Dr. Hickson is one of the world's leading experts on medical malpractice risk and patient safety. In over 150 peer reviewed articles and chapters, Dr. Hickson has explored questions such as:Why do patients and families choose to file suit?Why do most malpractice claims originate from a very small number of physicians?What can you do to reduce medical malpractice claims risk?Is there a link between physician behavior and patient outcomes?The last question is a very interesting. It's the focus of Dr. Hickson's most recent co-authored article, recently published in JAMA surgery.Dr. Hickson is a pediatrician who served as Chief of Pediatric Outpatient Services at Vanderbilt. He currently serves as Senior VP of Quality, Safety and Risk Prevention, and Joseph C. Ross Chair of Medical Education and Administration at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Hickson is also known for developing PARS® (Patient Advocacy Reporting System), a program that uses unsolicited patient complaint data to improve patient safety. It's used in more than 70 hospitals and health systems nationwide.This was a fascinating episode with numerous references to peer reviewed research and data. It's all here in the show notes so you can explore for yourself. With that said, let's get started. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit peerspectrum.substack.com