Crisis Management at Physicians Medical Practice Issues.

What Kinds of Issues Are Doctors Facing?

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Most doctors wrongly assume that any exposure or unwelcome publicity will be limited to issues surrounding their practice; that’s unfortunately not the only case. A review of news articles that cite doctors being, sued, arrested, or investigated covers a wide spectrum and extends in some cases even to members of their family and employees. The news loves to throw in, "A prominent local doctor was arrested tonight…"

The first and most obvious warning is simple; don’t do things, or allow others to do things that you can control, that place you and your practice in a negative light. Even a simple altercation with a neighbor or a DUI becomes newsworthy when a physician is involved and even more so if that doctor is locally prominent. Common examples of things that will get you on the news and detract from your credibility and professional standing:

• Driving while intoxicated or any drug- or alcohol(Drug information on alcohol)-related offense (or even behavior), including while traveling, flying, or on vacation. Think you are out of eye shot? I’ll bet you already know which congressman from the Southwest was just embarrassed for skinny dipping in Israel on a state trip;

• Any offense involving sexual conduct, or misconduct especially with a patient but this seems to be a no-holds-barred category and you will be named in even remote cases involving the conduct of family members and employees that has nothing to do with you; and

• Any investigative report or government, law enforcement, or task force investigation on issues like billing, prescriptions, or ID theft. Regardless of what they actually find, (or don’t find), just being mentioned is pejorative.

An Action Plan for Doctors

What should you do if you find yourself in the limelight? Public relations experts’ opinions vary widely on the best defensive course of action and damage control, but most agree on all the following guidelines:

• Have an Information Officer (IO). This simply means appointing a lead source of contact and information for the media and the public. Pick carefully, it may not always be the best idea to represent yourself in this capacity. Pick someone objective, articulate, informed, and who has the judgment and authority to answer questions on your behalf. Make your staff and family aware of the IO and their role and welcome them to politely refer questions to that person.

• The best defense is a good offense. Put out good information that you control through the IO, make sure it is true and factual and properly disseminated, you want it found first.

• If it’s an issue involving legal misconduct of any kind that requires you to have legal representation, or likely will require you to, check with your lawyer first. Don’t make any public statement either verbally or in writing. Innocent utterances, in your opinion, can certainly be twisted or used against you. In some cases, if your attorney has the personality and control it may be appropriate to have him be your IO, especially in cases involving potential civil or criminal liability.

source from physicians practice.