Most Recent Patient Safety Info

No Note About Patient Refusal of Test Before Missed Cancer

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 20:00:00 -0400

A delay in following a patient’s right kidney mass was complicated by the patient’s refusal of a CT scan and the providers’ incomplete and conflicting documentation of patient education and testing recommendations.

In this Edition: Severe Abdominal Pain Doesn’t Match the Exam, Patient-Centered Documentation Under Liability Pressure, and More

Wed, 27 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

CRICO on Call: May 2026

Taking the Mystery Out of Being a Clinician Defendant

Sun, 10 May 2026 20:00:00 -0400

Defendants in the Harvard medical community have a new way to learn about the legal machinery and personal coping strategies they’ll need to be good participants in their defense. Listeners learn how a leading edge litigation preparation video program was incubated through CRICO, with guests Gita Pensa, MD and CRICO’s VP of Claims, Beth Cushing, JD.

When Severe Abdominal Pain Does Not Match the Exam

Tue, 05 May 2026 20:00:00 -0400

A high-risk patient with untreated atrial fibrillation presented with classic ischemia warning signs, but delayed escalation to CT angiography and surgical evaluation led to bowel necrosis, extensive resection, and lifelong complications.

Beyond Burnout: Cognitive Load as a Driver of Clinical Risk

Tue, 05 May 2026 19:00:00 -0400

Burnout is often treated as an individual wellness issue. But in healthcare settings, the underlying operational problem may be cognitive overload, the accumulation of mental demands that erodes clinical decision-making and increases patient safety risks.

In this Edition: Defending Providers is Different Today, Team Up for Patient Safety, and More

Thu, 23 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

CRICO on Call: April 2026

Patient-Centered Documentation in a Liability-Pressured World

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 19:00:00 -0400

In malpractice conversations, documentation is often treated as both shield and sword. “If it isn’t documented, it didn’t happen” is drilled into clinicians early—and for good reason. Clear, accurate documentation supports continuity of care, strengthens communication, and, when necessary, provides a reliable account of clinical decision-making.

Defending Providers is Different Today, Says Legal Expert After 45 Years

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 20:00:00 -0400

What can you say after 45 years defending doctors, nurses, and hospitals in the Harvard medical community? A lot. Defending providers in court requires something different in 2026 than what prevailed in the 1980s, according to John Cassidy, who is retiring as senior partner at Ficksman and Conley. He shares his wisdom and insights for success in medmal defenses today and the future.

In this Edition: Missed Endocarditis, Cancer Prevention and Diagnostic Risk, and More

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

CRICO on Call: March 2026

Malpractice Risks from Provider-to-Patient Communication Failures (PSQH The Podcast, Episode 153)

Tue, 10 Mar 2026 20:00:00 -0400

In the Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare’s podcast episode 153, CRICO's Michael Paskavitz, Vice President of Candello, discusses recent research concerning malpractice risks associated with failures in provider-to-patient communication.

A Devastating HIT: When a Delayed Diagnosis Costs Limbs

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 20:00:00 -0400

What early clinical indicators in this case should have prompted consideration of an immune mediated reaction to heparin?

Team Up for Patient Safety

Wed, 04 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500

How CRICO helps healthcare organizations reduce their risk all year long.

Team Up for Patient Safety

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500

Each year in March, Patient Safety Awareness Week highlights the shared responsibility clinicians have in creating safer systems of care. This year’s theme, “Team Up for Patient Safety”, reflects a central truth about modern healthcare: safe patient care depends on how effectively clinicians work together. While clinical expertise and sound decision-making remain essential, the way information is communicated across care teams often determines whether patients receive timely and appropriate treatment.

Fatal Team Failure to Widen the Diagnostic Focus for OB Patient

Mon, 02 Mar 2026 19:00:00 -0500

Expert review concluded that a more aggressive response to non-reassuring fetal heart rate tracings, such as a conversion to cesarean delivery, would have been appropriate. Coupled with a delay in the diagnosis and treatment of chorioamnionitis, the case was settled in the high range.

In this Edition: Barriers to MD Mental Health Care, Provider-Patient Communication Failures, and More

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

CRICO on Call: February 2026

CRICO Connects Patient Safety with Professional Liability in Obstetrical Care

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0500

How medical malpractice insurance and patient safety combine to make our institutions among the safest places in the world to seek obstetrics care.

Cancer Prevention Awareness and the Reality of Diagnostic Risk

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0500

February’s focus on Cancer Prevention Awareness Month is a reminder that many cancers do not simply emerge without warning. They develop over time, often presenting early opportunities for risk reduction, screening, or timely diagnosis. For clinicians, risk managers, and insurers, that reality intersects directly with one of the most persistent sources of claims in ambulatory care: missed or delayed cancer diagnoses.

How Application Forms and Burnout Threaten MD Mental Health and Patient Safety

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0500

Progress in the work to solve a problem that threatens all providers and their patients: doctors often don’t seek mental health care because they fear the impact on their careers.

Building a Data-driven Employment Practices Liability (EPL) Program

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0500

Updates in the EPL program from 2023 until 2025.

Hospital at Home (HaH)

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:00:00 -0500

When implementing or expanding a HaH program, consider programmatic resources, goals, and the patient population to identify and mitigate risks and deliver safe, high-quality care.

OB Guideline 15: Assessment and Monitoring in Labor and Delivery

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 00:00:00 -0500

During prenatal care, the clinician and patient will discuss common events and procedures in labor, including methods of assessing fetal well-being.

Obstetrics Guidelines Introduction

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The Clinical Guidelines for Obstetrical Services at CRICO-insured Institutions are intended to provide guidance for clinicians and to support the safest maternal and fetal outcomes for patients receiving care in CRICO-insured medical institutions.

OB Guidelines

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The recommendations for practice included in this document were arrived at through careful consideration of the available evidence and should be considered as thoughtful, expert advice. These 2026 Guidelines offer a framework for provision of obstetrical care, rather than an inflexible set of mandates.

OB Guidelines Appendix A: Sample Documentation of Delivery with Shoulder Dystocia

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This sample form contains the notes needed to document a delivery by shoulder dystocia.

OB Guidelines Appendix B: Sample Documentation of Operative Vaginal Delivery

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

This is a sample form for capturing the documentation from an operative vaginal delivery.

Appendix C: Early Warning System Algorithm

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

The Early Warning System appendix complete with printable diagram.

OB Guidelines Appendix D: About Your Care During Labor and Birth

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Having a baby is a natural event. Most mothers and babies go through labor and birth without serious problems. Even so, certain situations may arise near the end of your pregnancy, or in labor, that can affect the care you or your baby need.

OB Guidelines Appendix G: The Delivery of Twins

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Learn more about possible events and risks related to the labor and delivery period for a pregnancy with twins.

CRICO OB Guidelines: Contents