Doctors in Kansas City Could Benefit from Disclose-and-Offer Approach After Medical Accident Cases

If you've ever known someone who has had to deal with a doctor or a hospital in the aftermath of a procedure gone wrong, you've probably heard all the horror stories about how difficult the communication lines become. Perhaps you've been in this situation yourself. You begin to question what went wrong and the doctors all of a sudden forget how to talk and turn everything over to the hospital lawyers.

Recently a couple of hospitals have begun a new system of communication after medical accidents and it has everything to do with near full disclosure. The University of Michigan Health System and the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago is opting with a full transparency tactic in which doctors open the doors of communication with patients with an explanation of where and why the problem may have occurred, offering a quick remedy of the mistake and immediate plans to improve the area where the mistake was made-- and it seems to be working. Claims against the hospital have dropped rapidly.

 

Many argue this "disclose and offer" approach won't work for all institutions. These medical centers are largely teaching hospitals who self-employ their staff. This means when there is a medical malpractice claim, it goes against the hospital as a whole, not on the doctor. Several Chicago hospitals are now conducting the Seven Pillars approach, which began at the U of I Med Center. The hope is that relieving the burden and fear of backlash will help open up honest lines of communication between patients and doctors.

 

As experienced Kansas and Missouri Medical Malpractice Attorneys, we know it is difficult to lose someone you love, especially when you feel someone else's negligence is to blame. But it's not as easy as it sounds to just go around and point fingers and naming names. Medical malpractice cases need to be handled professionally and aggressively.  We feel it is important to be open and honest with our clients and hope hospitals across the country follow suite with these two outstanding institutions with the disclose-and-offer approach.

 

If you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as the result of an unauthorized procedure or a medical malpractice accident in Kansas or Missouri, you should know your rights as a victim. Call the experienced Kansas City Personal Injury Lawyers of Roswold Law Group. With over 15 years of experience in Medical Malpractice cases including Child Injury Accidents, we may be able to help you and your family get through this difficult and often stressful time.

 

Contact Roswold Law Group today to set up a free consultation to discuss your personal injury claim. You can get started today by downloading our free book, "10 Essential Steps to Protecting Your Injury Claim" and know your rights.