The use of current and regularly reviewed protocols that are standard across an organization can be the difference between life or death, or the difference between winning or losing a malpractice suit. 

We’ve been working closely with Stephen Brzezinski, a renowned malpractice attorney. Brzezinski has aided in saving tens of millions of dollars in potential loss for hospitals and doctors. 

He gave these 4 simple tips to avoid Medical Malpractice: 

1. Protocols need to be evidence-based 
2. Provide staff current protocols in one easy-to-find location
3. Give practitioners the ability to update and refine protocols in a controlled environment
4. Allow for flexibility within protocols for staff to use their best judgment while remaining faithful to the tenets of the care pathway 

Protocols need to be evidence-based

In order for a protocol or care pathway to be held up as valid, it needs to be evidenced-based. This seems straight forward and easy enough yet there are several ways to approach this. Depending on your location HCP guidelines can be dictated at a federal or state level. In the US, the CDC recently noted, "The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed how health care is delivered in the United States and has affected the operations of healthcare facilities...Healthcare facilities need to provide care for all patients in the safest way possible for patients and healthcare personnel (HCP) and at the appropriate level."

With the ever-changing needs within healthcare, it is important to be tuned into the most accurate and current information possible. This information may even be determined within a hospital or network. Insurances may often also have standards of care to comply with.

Regardless of where the information is gathered, ProtocolNow serves as a powerful tool to indicate when and by whom a protocol is updated. This digital bread crumb information can prove critical when it comes to litigation. Having the data auto-generate removes the potential for human error or tampering as well, which greatly aid in providing quality evidence if a suit does go to trial.

Provide staff current protocols in one easy-to-find location

"What's the protocol? Where's the protocol? Who has authority to change the protocol?" Are they in a printed binder buried under a mountain of current case work? How about on a poster in the break room? Either way, our hunch is that they're outdated. Even if they're current, are the protocols in a format that's easy to search, share, and update?

ProtocolNow provides an answer for each of these concerns. Cut the cost and hassle of physical protocols and make the move to a scalable digital solution that works for any role that interacts with protocols.

Give practitioners the ability to update and refine protocols in a controlled environment

Never take the all-white-New-Balances/Cronks on the ground for granted. Nurses, PA's, docs—they have the patient's and hospital's best interests in mind. They've literally taken an oath to provide the best care possible. As such, they have their proverbial ear to the gurney and that info is priceless and should be put to good use in refining and improving protocols.

ProtocolNow allows users to make comments, share and collaborate, and submit protocols for approval. This can all be tracked at a user level in a controlled yet flexible environment within the ProtocolNow app or web platform.

Allow for flexibility within protocol for staff to use their best judgement while remaining faithful to the tenets of the care pathway

When developing and refining protocols, Brzezinski presented an important note on how protocols are developed and executed—they need to be thorough yet flexible. When developing protocols, think of them as bumpers on a bowling alley. Bumpers don't force the ball down a single path yet they keep bowlers from getting gutters.

Allow your staff to honor the spirit of the protocols and their years of nuanced experience.

Check out the video below to learn more from Brzezinski and why he thinks ProtocolNow can protect your practice.

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‍About ProtocolNow 

‍ProtocolNow is a software platform that houses the protocol lifecycle. In business, protocols are everywhere, and properly managed and followed protocols deliver more consistent service and results. ProtocolNow empowers clients to develop, train on, apply and refine protocols with their easy-to-use proprietary platform. Learn more at Protocolnow.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

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