The presentation is designed to walk you through all stages of a malpractice case in order to equip you with the information you need to deal with this common problem. Using a model malpractice case, this guide helps to prepare the physician for the challenges and pitfalls of being a defendant. It begins when the doctor is notified about the initiation of a malpractice case, explains the elements of a malpractice case, describes the claim, and introduces the people involved in bringing the claim and defending the doctor. The presentation describes the depositions and the actual trial.

NUMBER OF CREDIT HOURS: The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

COST: $40.00 for the average learner. Participants living in emerging nations receive a 50% discount or can register for free. See our International Pricing Page for details.

OVERALL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. This course helps to prepare the physician for the challenges and pitfalls of being a defendant, from the earliest stages of a lawsuit to the actual courtroom appearance.
2. Participants will gain an understanding of the legal process, types of witnesses, deposition strategies, areas of possible difficulties, examination and cross-examination

CLINICAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Participants will learn the bases for malpractice litigation
2. Participants will learn the sequence of events in a malpractice case
3. Participants will become familiar with common errors that are made by physicians as defendants
4. Participants will be prepared to collaborate effectively with attorneys

METHOD OF PARTICIPATION:

Registrants participate in the learning process by answering interactive multiple choice questions that are dispersed throughout the case presentation. You must answer a question correctly in order to continue through the course. If you answer a question incorrectly, you will be prompted to try again.

In order to earn credit, physicians must complete the entire educational activity before the termination date (see above). Non-physicians may register for the course but are not eligible for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Instead, non-physicians will earn a certificate of participation after successfully completing the course before its termination date.

COMBINATION OF MEDIA USED:

This internet enduring material is a case-based, interactive presentation comprised mainly of text, interactive questions, and images. A variety of media, including video clips, audio clips, and Flash animation, may be presented. Links to any necessary plugins are provided when necessary, but no plugins are required for general use of the CME website, and you may skip the multimedia presentation(s) within the course if you choose.

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THOMAS G. GUTHEIL, MD Course Director

Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Co-Director, Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry; Past President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law and President-Elect; Author, The Psychiatrist in Court: A Survival Guide; The Psychiatrist as Expert Witness and Mastering Forensic Psychiatric Practice: Advanced Strategies for the Expert Witness; Co-author, The Clinical Handbook of Psychiatry and the Law; Co-author, Divided Staffs, Divided Selves, A Case Approach to Mental Health Ethics. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

MARK J. HAUSER, MD Course Director

Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine; Forensic Psychiatrist, Program in Psychiatry and Law, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

LAWRENCE E. LIFSON, MD Course Director

Lecturer on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Director of Continuing Education, Massachusetts Mental Health Center and the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry; Faculty, Boston Psychoanalytic Institute and Chairman of Continuing Education at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute; Editor, Understanding Therapeutic Action: Psychodynamic Concepts of Cure; Co-Editor, The Mental Health Practitioner and the Law: A Comprehensive Handbook and The Psychology of Investing. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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GRACE HUANG, MD Reviewer

Grace Huang, MD, is the Director of the Office of Educational Technology at the Carl J. Shapiro Institute for Education and Research, a joint venture between HMS and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. She also works as a hospitalist at BIDMC. She has spent a number of years designing web-based modules on clinical skills, including computer-based case simulations (“virtual patients”), physical diagnosis tutorials, interactive pathophysiology diagrams, and procedure-based instruction. She serves as a consultant to the Association of American Medical Colleges in their initiative to promote scholarship and sharing of educational materials through MedEdPORTAL. Her clinical research interest is in the impact of a formal hospital-based procedure service on complication rates among internal medicine residents. DISCLOSURE: Dr. Huang's spouse works at Pfizer, Inc., and she holds stock options and shares in the same company.

DONALD MEYER, MD Reviewer

Dr. Meyer is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

KITT SHAFFER, MD, PH.D. Reviewer

Currently, Dr. Shaffer is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School; in addition, he is the Director of the Division on Addictions at the Cambridge Health Alliance, a teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. He has served as principal or co-principal investigator on a variety of government, state, non-profit/foundation, and corporate sponsored research projects. Currently, he focuses his efforts on the research and educational activities associated with the Institute for Research on Pathological Gambling and Related Disorders, Internet Gambling and his ongoing federally funded research on the psychiatric co-morbidity among multiple DUI offenders. Dr. Shaffer is the past editor of the Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, the past editor of The Journal of Gambling Studies, and the past associate editor of The Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. Dr. Shaffer also is a member of numerous editorial boards. His newest books include the APA Addiction Syndrome Handbook (2012) and Change Your Gambling, Change Your Life (2012). Dr. Shaffer's major research interests include, the social perception of addiction and disease, the philosophy of science, impulse control regulation and compulsive behaviors, addiction treatment outcomes, psychiatric comorbidity, homelessness and addiction, and the natural history of addictive behaviors. Dr. Shaffer has written extensively about the treatment of addictive behaviors and the nature of addiction, including more than 250 chapters, journal articles, and reviews. He also has published more than 120 newspaper articles, and 22 books or monographs. His research, writing, and teaching have shaped how the health care field conceptualizes and treats the full range of addictive behaviors. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities

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SANJIV CHOPRA, MD Planner

Dr. Sanjiv Chopra is Professor of Medicine and Faculty Dean for Continuing Medical Education at Harvard Medical School and Senior Consultant in Hepatology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston. In his role as Faculty Dean for Continuing Education, Dr. Chopra provides oversight and leadership of the Department and oversees the academic development of our programs. Dr. Chopra is an experienced clinician, researcher, and educator. In his research roles, he has served both as a principal investigator as well as co-investigator. He has more than 120 publications and five books to his credit, addressing topics in disease states, patient care, and leadership. Dr. Chopra’s teaching experience is extensive, and he has won numerous teaching awards for his work with medical students, residents and physicians. Currently, he directs and speaks at 10 multiday CME courses, nine of which are through HMS. For his full bio, please click here. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

ANDI LONG, EDM Planner

Andi Long directs the Department of Continuing Education’s Distance Learning group, which offers a variety of online continuing medical education programs to health care professionals around the world. Andi develops strategies for new pilot programs and systematically rolls out new distance learning initiatives and has a leadership role in IT planning and other online processes for HMS DCE. She oversees the day-to-day operations of each distance learning activity and ensures ACCME compliance across all enduring programs. She has had the privilege of working with hundreds of Harvard Medical School Faculty members to develop high-quality, engaging online programs that physicians in more than 170 countries have taken part in. Andi earned her Ed.M. in Technology, Innovation, and Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education and graduated from Bridgewater State College, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. Her professional interests focus on teaching and learning with new technologies and online course development. DISCLOSURE: Reported no relevant financial relationships with commercial entities.

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NUMBER OF CREDITS: 2 

The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Harvard Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 2 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This course should take approximately 2 hours to complete.

Within 2 weeks of completing the course, you will receive your certificate via email.

Click the image to view a sample of the certificate

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