Understanding “generation codes” gives clinicians insight into their patients' and colleagues' mindsets and provides a tool for building the rapport needed for a productive healthcare relationship.

The idea of missing something, or finding out that follow up on a lab order or specialty consult fell through the cracks, can haunt providers. Nothing represents these concerns better than a claim from a patient or family that you failed to diagnose their cancer. A recent review of professional liability claims from across the United States shows that diagnosis-related claims account for a higher percentage of dollar costs than any other category.

A new evidence-based tool helps doctors and practices close the loop on referral failures that may harm patients and lead to lawsuits

According to estimates, as many as half of medical specialty referrals are not fully completed. In a study of medical malpractice cases asserted in the Harvard system between 2006 and 2015, 46 cases involved referral breakdowns, with an incurred cost of $11 million. The vast majority involved severe harm to the patient. Closing the Loop... is a guide to prevent this from continuing.

Experts: the need to pull families onto the patient safety team will only grow with ongoing trends of shorter hospital stays, and care moving into ambulatory sites and even into the patient's home. Family caregivers will be a big part of safety at each stage.

A new evidence-based tool helps doctors and practices close the loop on referral failures that may harm patients and lead to lawsuits

Patients' family members are providing direct care between doctor and hospital visits, so what's their role in patient safety?

Mishandled specialty referrals in ambulatory care can harm patients and lead to litigation if a diagnosis is delayed or missed. Two leading groups hope individual practices and institutions will use the Guide to make their referrals more reliable and reduce mistakes.

A new evidence-based tool helps doctors and practices close the loop on referral failures that may harm patients and lead to lawsuits

Each of the providers at the big, annual IHI quality conference heard a personal message loud and clear above the three-day din: doctors and nurses deserve to have joy in their work. More than that, the happiness of clinicians is essential to good patient care.