It is understandable why a patient may be overly sensitive when it comes to manners concerning their physical health. In response, they may quickly assume that you are, as their treating physician, exhibiting poor bedside manner and thereby failing to provide them with the most appropriate healthcare. While you may believe this accusation is blown out of proportion, you may be unable to control who they report you to, such as the New York Department of State’s Office of Professional Medical Conduct (OPMC). If so, please continue reading to learn whether you can be subject to potential OPMC discipline for poor bedside manner and how one of the experienced OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyers at Walker Medical Law can protect your ability to practice medicine in New York State.
By definition, what constitutes poor bedside manner?
You may have heard the term “poor bedside manner” before without entirely comprehending what it entails. Well, by definition, it is essentially when a treating physician has inadequate or negative interactions with their patient. This may manifest in any one of the following ways:
- A treating physician may dismiss or fail to closely listen to a patient’s anxieties or concerns regarding their physical health.
- A treating physician may rush through a patient’s appointment using medical jargon rather than lay terms that can be understood.
- A treating physician may be distracted by an electronic device or another medical case while they are meant to consult with a patient.
- A treating physician may bring a negative/bad mood into a patient’s appointment and deter them from seeking further medical help.
Can I potentially receive OPMC discipline for poor bedside manners?
In short, poor bedside manner in and of itself may not be enough to get the OPMC’s attention for potential disciplinary actions. The OPMC receives countless complaints every year, and they must filter out the ones that do not fall under their jurisdiction of medical misconduct. In other words, they may not have the time or authority to intervene in situations where a treating physician was generally rude towards a patient. However, it is very much possible that poor bedside manners can lead to incidents of negligence.
For example, say that a treating physician speeds through a patient’s appointment and brushes off their concerns over experienced symptoms. Well then, this may cause them to fail to order the proper medical testing to diagnose a patient’s condition. Ultimately, this may result in a patient receiving a misdiagnosis or a delayed diagnosis. So their condition that was possibly once treatable may now be life-altering, life-threatening, or life-ending. This is when the OPMC may find reason to step in and commence an investigation on you.
If you desire more clarity before you head into potential OPMC proceedings, please do not wait any longer to reach out to one of the skilled OPMC/OPD misconduct defense lawyers. Retain the services of Walker Medical Law today.
