Risk Management on the PRMS Blog

Choosing a malpractice insurance policy is one of the first – and most important – decisions you will face in your career. And as a resident, you may have a lot of questions: How much is malpractice insurance? When does a psychiatrist need malpractice insurance? What is a claims made policy versus occurrence insurance policy? Luckily, the experienced team at PRMS is equipped to ...

It’s that time again, when you may be thinking about resolutions for the new year. While termination has always been a popular topic on our Risk Management Helpline, during the past year we have addressed more termination issues than ever before. It’s an important topic because once a treatment relationship has been established, the psychiatrist remains responsible for the pat ...

Our Risk Managers contribute articles to the Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience (ICNS) digital journal. Here is an excerpt by Ann McNary, JD, PRMS Senior Risk Manager, from the current article titled ‘“Covering” Your Bases: Managing Risk While Away from Your Practice or Filling in for a Colleague.’ Question: This summer, I’m taking my family on a long overdue vacation to Ita ...

Ready for success in your psychiatric career? PRMS® Psych-cess is a FREE virtual webinar for residents, fellows, and early career psychiatrists, led by experts in the field to set you up for success. Interested in learning more about the ins and outs of contract negotiations? Hear from health law attorney, Mary Jean Geroulo, Esquire, as she leads a discussion about contract ne ...

Yes, it’s already that time of year again! If you’re like most busy psychiatrists, you may not yet have had a chance to implement last year’s risk management resolutions, or maybe even those of the year before that. Don’t worry – we’re not here to make you feel bad. In fact, this year we’re recommending a slightly different approach. Rather than looking at ways to improve your ...

As you may be packing your suitcase for an upcoming summer vacation, there are a few things to consider before taking time away from your practice. 1) Make certain your staff has accurate telephone numbers and other contact information.  Discuss with them situations in which you absolutely want to be contacted; which may include problems with specific patients.  Remember, your ...

It’s that time of year again – the time when we take stock and reflect upon where we have been and where we are headed. Physically, you may have travelled far less in the last 21 months than ever before, but you have, nonetheless, been on quite a journey! Many of you have likely made changes to the way you practice. You may have decided to give up the expense and hassle of work ...

As part of PRMS’ ongoing commitment to serve the behavioral healthcare community, we are proud to support the Society of Uniformed Services Psychiatrists in honor of Veteran’s Day this November. Learn more about the organization, its membership, and its mission below, plus access resources compiled by PRMS’ risk managers to aid in the treatment of military patients. This Vete ...

In our efforts to support mental health and all those served by and working in the field of psychiatry, we are pleased to feature Donna Vanderpool, MBA, JD, PRMS Director of Risk Management, as one of our bloggers this month. Donna shares strategies that doctors can implement to provide good clinical care in honor of World Patient Day this September. World Patient Safety Day 20 ...

It’s almost the start of a new year, and we can likely all agree that we are glad to say ‘goodbye’ to 2020 – a year that has, among so much else, upended healthcare, economies, and mental health.  Not only has the pandemic changed the way you practice psychiatry, but it also created new risks.  So as we begin a new year, our PRMS Risk Managers (or “Mayhem Managers” as they’ve b ...