has a remarkable background in the fields of law and behavioral healthcare.
It is this dynamic experience that she brings to her current role as
vice president of risk management at PRMS. To the healthcare professionals
seeking her advice, Ms. Melonas not only provides the expertise of an
attorney, but also the knowledge and compassion of a healthcare professional
who has been in their shoes.
We spoke with Ms. Melonas about why she came to the field
of risk management and her outlook for the new liability risks that
mental health practitioners need to learn (and the ones they should
already know).
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Limiting
Your Risks When Prescribing SSRIs
-
Psychiatric News, October 2004
Psychiatrists
Advised on Ways To Avoid Legal Quicksand
- Psychiatric
News, June 2004
Making
Risk Management Manageable: PRMS Seminar Keeps Psychiatrists on
Top of Trends
- PRMS, May 2004
Courts
Interpret Boundaries Of HIPAA Privacy Rule
Donna Vanderpool, J.D., M.B.A.
-
Psychiatric News, May 2004
Patient-Safety
Strategies Can Reduce Suicide Risk
Jacqueline M. Melonas, J.D., R.N., M.S.
-
Psychiatric News, April 2004
Use
of S&R: Patient Safety, Risk Management Considerations
Donna Vanderpool, J.D., M.B.A.
-
Psychiatric News, March 2004
PRMS
Assistant Vice President Simplifies HIPAA at AOOP Conference
- PRMS, January 2004
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I believe that the work of psychiatrists and all mental
health professionals is so important. Mental health patients are sometimes
still not given the support they should receive due to unequal access
to health benefits for mental health treatment. Also, our society still
attaches some degree of stigma to mental illness. I know that these
professionals advocate for their patients and work hard to provide quality
care to them. I want to support their efforts by relieving healthcare
professionals from the worry and heartache of a malpractice lawsuit.
I also believe that good risk management strategies focus on quality
patient care, so it is a good feeling to participate in some small way
to helping patients as well as clinicians.
The PRMS Risk Management department presents three large
national seminars each year, as well as at least four seminars in New
York (typically in Manhattan, Upstate locations, and White Plains).
This year, we will hold our national seminars in Orlando, Fl., Columbus,
Oh., and Arlington, Va. Over the past few years, we've presented in
such cities as Philadelphia, Hartford, Chicago, Seattle, Denver and
more. In addition to the national seminars, PRMS speaks at American
Psychiatric Association District Branch programs throughout the country,
as well as professional conferences.
It remains to be seen how big the impact will be but the
controversies surrounding prescribing psychotropic medications (especially
the recent FDA warnings and the related controversy about antidepressants
and suicidality in children & adolescents) is of concern because
prescribing decisions may be scrutinized more than ever.
A suicide (or attempted suicide) by a patient is the most
frequent basis for lawsuits against mental health professionals/psychiatrists.
Communication! Good communication between the clinician
and patient can, among other things, increase adherence to the treatment
plan, manage the patient’s expectations about treatment and treatment
outcomes, and reduce the potential for a malpractice lawsuit. Numerous
studies have examined the relationship between a strong clinician-patient
relationship and the likelihood of a malpractice action being taken
against the clinician. Effective communication is the basis for a good
relationship and has been shown to improve quality of care and, even
in instances in which the treatment outcome is poor, a good clinician-patient
relationship acts as an inhibition to lawsuits.
