March 2008

CBS endorses Quixote software as risk management tool

Chiropractic Benefit Services malpractice insurance program has issued a strong endorsement for Quixote Software, stating that the electronic record keeping system is a key tool in reducing the risk of malpractice claims and board complaints.

"The importance of record keeping for the chiropractic office cannot be overestimated," explained Timothy Feuling, CBS president. "Improper record keeping is one of the most common causes for malpractice lawsuits and board complaints and good records can be a key to the successful defense in any situation."

According to an article in Southern Medicine, medical‑record information is used as evidence in about three quarters of all civil cases and in about one‑quarter of all criminal trials. (Harold L. Hirsch, "Medical Records ‑‑ Medicolegal Implications.") The figures are thought to be even higher in the chiropractic profession, where there is a lower risk of physical injury due to improper care.

The British company, UK Special Risks, Ltd., advises clients that "the importance of record‑keeping cannot be overstated... Patient records form the basis of any medical legal defence and there may be a presumption that if a patient record is incomplete then the examination was similarly incomplete, strengthening the claimant's case."

This demand for though and accurate record keeping applies to all health care practitioners, including chiropractors. Yet, DCs have often been resistant to upgrading their record keeping systems.

"We continue to see cases brought to court and before state licensing boards involving doctors who scribble a few notes on a patient card," said Feuling. "Half the time, they can't decipher their own notes and the other half, the records are not complete enough to serve as a strong defense." The obvious solution to this problem, he noted, is automating the entire record keeping process with an electronic health records system.

"CBS has evaluated a number of different EHR systems and found many of them to be excellent tools for effective record keeping," Feuling added. "Quixote Software won the highest marks because it was the most powerful suite of tools we found in a single system, yet easy to learn and customize. It also lives up to its slogan of 'Software with a Higher Purpose' by giving users the opportunity to engage in a global chiropractic research project."

All health care providers are adopting EHR systems as part of a global trend away from hand written records. "The electronic record is at the center of the IOM's (Institute of Medicine) goal of eliminating most handwritten clinical data by the end of this decade," noted an article in the Journal of Medical Internet Research ("The Emergence of National Electronic Health Record Architectures in the United States and Australia: Models, Costs, and Questions"). The authors went on to state that "Electronic records are superior to paper records because they decrease error due to handwriting problems and ease physical storage requirements."

In announcing the endorsement for Quixote Software, Feuling noted that CBS urges all doctors to switch to electronic health records as soon as possible. "We think Quixote is the best, but the primary goal is to have all chiropractors use electronic systems for 100% of their record keeping, as a way to reduce their risk of devastating lawsuits and board complaints."