Contingency Planning

A couple weeks ago, a doctor (gastroenterologist) was killed in a traffic accident on his way to work. When I see a story like this, naturally I feel bad for the doctor, his family, his friends, and his colleagues. But I also think about his patients: they have lost someone important in their lives as well. How will they hear the news? Who will take over their care? What about those who were in his waiting room at the time of the accident? Will they simply be sent home by the office staff?

If you’re a solo practitioner, you need to plan for the day you absolutely can’t show up at the office as scheduled. It could be due to a tragedy in your own family, or a bout of chest pain that prompted you to call 911, or it could be the ultimate reason – your sudden death. Will your staff know what to do? Do you have a plan in place to effect an orderly disposition of your practice, providing the same kind of high-quality care you’ve provided to them? If you don’t, you should.

We’ve written a short paper on it (Program Participants can click here to access the article, and feel free to contact our Risk Management staff with any questions or concerns.