Welcome to the Senior Psychiatrists!Senior Psychiatrists, Inc., founded in 2012, is an outgrowth of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) "Lifers." Prior to 2012, the “Lifers were managed by the APA Foundation. Today, the Senior Psychistrists, Inc. is an “Allied Organization” to APA and has representation in the APA Assembly. Membership in the Senior Psychiatrists, Inc. is open to any member of the American Psychiatric Association who is a Life Member, Life Fellow, or Life Distinguished Fellow. There are approximately 8,000 members of APA who have Life status, and this represents about 20% of the APA membership. The organization is now poised for growth and has put the infrastructure in place to reach out its expanding potential membership base. For more information, see our About Us page. Register for your free membership today! Donate Today!Senior Psychiatrists appreciates donations of any amount and offers special recognition for donations over $100. As a 501(c)(3) organization, all donations are fully tax deductible.Meet our DonorsClick here to view | Upcoming events
2020 Berson Award Recipient
The Berson Senior Psychiatrist Award
acknowledges a senior member who has made a significant contribution to
psychiatry. The award was made possible by a grant from the estate of
Harold E. Person, M.D. |
Provided by: PRMS
Telepsychiatry Webpage
Our telepsychiatry resources have a new webpage, including a 37-minute “Let’s Talk” video on telepsychiatry, which can be accessed at prms.com/telepsych. In the new video (non-CME), we offer an overview of the many complex issues involved in the provision of telepsychiatry.
November Fact vs. Fiction Resource
I will be retiring from practice soon and have decided to give my paper charts to the patients. I’ve researched record storage options; when I mentioned to a colleague the outrageous cost, they shared their plan to eliminate that cost by giving the record to the patient. I really like this solution because in addition to saving money, I will not have to deal with requests for records. Upon researching further, quite a few retiring psychiatrists are doing this, so I feel this is an appropriate plan.
What do you think - fact or fiction?
ANSWER: Fiction! Regardless of how many of your colleagues are doing this, it is inappropriate for at least the following reasons:
For example, as noted by the Florida Medical Board:
According to Rule 64B8-10.002(3), FAC : A licensed physician shall keep adequate written medical records, as required by Section 458.331(1)(m), Florida Statutes, for a period of at least five years from the last patient contact; however, medical malpractice law requires records to be kept for at least seven years.
For example, New York law includes the following within the definition of professional misconduct:
Failing to maintain a record for each patient which accurately reflects the evaluation and treatment of the patient…. Unless otherwise provided by law, all patient records must be retained for at least six years. Obstetrical records and records of minor patients must be retained for at least six years, and until one year after the minor patient reaches the age of eighteen years;
While coverage issues are handled on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific circumstances, most policies exclude coverage for “…error or violation of law committed by an insured or any person for whose acts an Insured is legally responsible.” So, for example, if a state law mandates that physicians retain medical records for up to six years, and a physician fails to do so, coverage for any claim that is related to this could be denied by virtue of this policy exclusion.
Also, policies may have a cooperation clause precluding an insured from taking any actions that could limit the insurance company’s ability to defend the case. Not retaining the record could be such an action.
But even if coverage is intact, by giving up control of the original records to the person who is most likely to make a claim regarding the care documented in them, a physician could be very severely jeopardizing their defense. The record could be altered, or there could be chain of custody issues resulting in the record being inadmissible.
PRMS Blog
In his article from the Washington Psychiatric Society summer newsletter, Dr. William Lawson discusses the education and management of suicide among people of color. We hope you and your members enjoy this interesting post!
Our Most recent Lessons Learned event was held
March 21, 2022.
The topic for this event was:
Lessons Learned - Lessons Learned 6: FAMILY PSYCHIATRY: A RELATIONAL APPROACH TO INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES
AND SYSTEMS. Click here for video.
Click here for links to archived Lessons Learned interactive programs.
Sponsored by PRMS