Telling a Story; The Medical Record

The medical record can prove to be your best defense or biggest downfall when faced with a lawsuit. Medical record documentation is the determining factor in more than 80 percent of malpractice cases, some of which arise years after the ED visit and long after the specifics of the case are forgotten.

EPIC’S Graham Billingham, MD, FACEP President and CEO, Chairman Eduard Boudreau, DO, and Jeanie Taylor, RN, BSN, MS, Vice President, Risk Management discuss the importance of accurate and timely documentation, the common errors made by providers and resulting implications in using emergency department electronic documentation systems.

The medical record itself should read like a story telling about the patient and how you cared for that patient. A good medical record gives the reader, perhaps even years down the road, an understanding of the thought process that went into the decision-making and ultimately the treatment of the patient.

Wound Care in the ED


Traumatic wounds account for more than 12 million ED visits per year. This frequency makes wound care high-risk even though they do not lead to high-severity claims. EPIC has published a series of Alerts on key considerations for ED providers treating wounds.

EPIC’s Jeanie Taylor, RN, BSN, MS, Vice President, Risk Management and Graham Billingham, MD, FACEP, President and CEO discuss wound care in the attached video. They address when to suspect a foreign body in a wound, high-velocity wounds, use of various imaging modalities and when to prescribe antibiotics.EPIC discusses some of the most common claims associated with pediatric patients with EPIC President and CEO, Graham Billingham, M.D. FACEP.

EPIC Etcetera

• We are at the ACEP. Visit EPIC at booth #1016

• EPIC Physicians: A webcast on stroke treatment in the ED is available as part of our risk reduction program. EPIC full-time, insured physicians have until December 31, 2011 to access this CME course available at EPIC’s Intranet CME Courses link.