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Johnson & Associates (J&A)
is at the forefront in innovative and effective risk management. We use the most creative and up-to-the-moment media and techniques to offer programs for healthcare providers and healthcare facilities.

J&A’s proactive Risk Management Program offers a comprehensive selection of services designed to effectively control risk.



1. Internet Programs

To Purchase access to any of these assessments or products, please use PayPal.

A. Fundamentals of Risk Management $50.00
Topics covered include malpractice, informed consent, communication and documentation.

Pre-test questions raise the issues to be covered.

Case studies are used to demonstrate the principles involved.

Sample documentation, both good forms and bad examples, are provided.

Post-test questions review materials.

Especially good for new doctors, residents , nurses and a wide selection of healthcare workers.

B. Advanced Principles of Risk Management $50.00
This interactive and humor-injected case study program is designed to increase the medico-legal awareness of physicians and other health care workers.

74 scenarios provide a comprehensive overview of professional liability issues.

This interactive format allows the user to answer questions and receive immediate feedback based on the answer.

C. Physician Office Assesment $50.00
Physician Office Assessment can be completed by the physician and/or the office manager on-line.

All office staff can take the self-assessment to learn ways to reduce risk in the office setting.

This program includes the following topics:
  • Office Facility
  • Staff Policies
  • Telephone Protocols
  • Patient Scheduling and
  • Follow-up Procedures
  • Payment Policy
  • Patient Complaints
  • Legal Papers
  • Informed Consent
  • Medications
  • Failure to Diagnose
  • Medical Records
  • Infection Control
  • Equipment Maintenance

D. Office-Based Risk Management $50.00

Office-Based Risk Management is an on-line interactive program developed by lawyers and doctors for physicians to use in the office setting. It focuses on office-based liability concerns. Questions are rated by importance. Discussion is provided on each risk management topic. Full explanations of correct answers are available for reader. Bibliography is also available for further reading.

Topics covered include:
Module 1: Appointments
Module 2: Medical History
Module 3: Consent
Module 4: Medication/Drug Control
Module 5: Diagnosis & Treatment
Module 6: Office Rules
Module 7: Exposure Control

E. Hospital-Based Physician Risk Management $50.00
This internet program is designed specifically for reduction of risk in hospital setting and out-patient hospital and clinic settings.

Information on why the correct answer is the best answer is provided in each question. CME is provided.



Topics covered include:
Module 1: Risk Management
Module 2: Claims Management
Module 3: Policies and Procedures
Module 4: Admission
Module 5: Discharge
Module 6: Emergency Services
Module 7: Diagnosis
Module 8: Treatment
Module 9: Medication Control
Module 10: Informed Consent Conversation
Module 11: Consent Documentation
Module 12: Communication
Module 13: Medical Records
Module 14: Documentation



2. Reference Guide to Risk Management

*For current articles on issues of malpractice liability, check out the Malpractice Consult at Medical Economics.

*For a reference guide in either hard copy ($80) or CD format ($30), go to PayPal to pay on line or e-mail lj@bestweb.net. to pay by check.

This topical guide provides questions asked by healthcare providers and legal answers provided. The Questions and answers are arranged for easy reference according to a detailed and easily accessible index. Any question that arises in daily practice can be addressed. This format provides an opportunity to learn from the experience of other practitioners. Questions and answers are arranged in the following general topics:

    I. Insurance
    A. Coverage
    B. Investigation

    II. Litigation
    A. Assignment of Counsel
    B. Start of Lawsuit
    C. Discovery & Depositions
    D. Judgment

    III. Duty
    A. Telephone (or other "not in person" contact)
    B. Independent Medical Exams
    C. Good Samaritan
    D. Third Parties
    E. Termination

    IV. Standard of Care
    A. General Definition
    B. Expert Testimony

    V. Standard of Care—Diagnosis

    VI. Standard of Care—Treatment

    VII. Damages

    VIII. Informed Consent
    A. Responsibility
    B. Majority
    C. Capacity
    D. Emergency
    E. Risks
    F. Repeat discussions
    G. Refusal of Treatment
    H. Documentation

    IX. Contracts
    A. Guarantees
    B. Hold Harmless

    X. Confidentiality
    A. Verbal
    B. Written

    XI. Communication
    A. Doctor & Patient
    B. Doctor & other healthcare providers

    XII. Documentation
    A. Accuracy & Specificity
    B. Legibility
    C. Completeness
    D. Factuality
    E. Alterations

    XIII. Federal Laws
    A. Patient Self—Determination Act
    B. National Practitioner Databank
    C. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
    D. Emergency Medical Transfer and Labor Act (EMTALA)

    XIV. Medication Errors

    XV. Medical Records

    XVI. Office Practice
    A. Facility
    B. Appointments
    C. Phone Coverage
    D. History & Physical
    E. Emergencies
    F. Follow-up
    G. Billing

    XVII. Managed Care
    A. Contracts
    B. Duty
    C. Treatment Decisions

    XVIII. Responsibility and Liability
    A. Patient
    B. Business entities
    C. Coverage
    D. Supervision
    E. Consultants and Referrals

    XIX. Alternative Medicine

    XX. Web Medicine



3. On-Site Assessment
A. Independent Review email lj@bestweb.net

This hands-on approach will help healthcare workers identify areas of liability and implement corrective actions insulate themselves from potential liability. Assessments are tailored to the type of practice: individual practitioners, multi-specialty and single specialty medical groups.

The on-site liability review is designed to pinpoint specific liability traps in the practice setting. J&A will suggest various risk management and loss prevention mechanisms.

The on-site review includes an in-depth assessment of the following:
  • Methods of operation
  • Incident or occurrence screening systems
  • Staffing activities
  • Policies, procedures, guidelines and protocols
  • Current quality improvement and risk management activities
  • Safety issues

The assessment follows up with a written report outlining recommendations for improvements. The report will equip the client with information crucial to controlling risk, minimizing losses and impacting positively on insurance premiums.

During the course of an on-site assessment, a Risk Management Consultant meets with the key professionals and administrative staff and observes the office facility for risk management risks. The Consultant and an attorney review administrative and clinical policies, procedures and operations. In addition, the Risk Management Consultant reviews a random sample of medical records. Based on this assessment, the Consultant recommends appropriate loss prevention interventions tailored to the insured.

Depending on the type of organization, the process may include:
1. Reviewing written materials such as policies and procedures prior to the on-site visit.

2. Completing a comprehensive review of the facility including physical layout, staff attitudes, appointment scheduling and use of telephones.

3. Meeting with the key professional and administrative personnel.

4. Reviewing a sample of the medical/case management records using various criteria such as legibility and completeness.

5. Generating a report.

6. Letter to the physician group or facility listing recommendations.

7. Assistance to the client in outlining corrective actions

B. Telephone Consultation and Document Review email lj@bestweb.net

This assessment survey identifies potential problems in medical office systems. A report is generated for the doctors, Healthcare Workers and program administrators based on an analysis of the responses.



4. Seminars email lj@bestweb.net
Our seminars deal with fundamental risk management issues facing doctors and other healthcare providers. The programs are presented through lectures, videos, slides, role playing, mock trials, and case studies. Seminars are offered on a national basis at diverse locations and are also offered on-site.

General Medical Topics
  • Malpractice

  • Informed Consent

  • Documentation

  • Communication

  • Televised Trial Commentary

  • Doctor-Patient interactions and discussion

  • Compliance

  • Managed Care

  • Telemedicine

  • Failure to Diagnose

  • Q&A Sessions

  • Specialty Medical Topics

  • Liability in Anesthesia

  • Liability in the Emergency Room

  • Liability in Family Practice

  • Liability in Obstetrics and Gynecology

  • Liability in Ophthalmology

  • Liability in Orthopedics

  • Liability in Pathology

  • Liability in Pediatrics

  • Liability in Plastic Surgery

  • Liability in Psychiatry

  • Liability in Radiology

  • Liability in Surgery

  • Legal Lectures

  • What is Malpractice?

  • Informed Consent

  • Legal Aspects of the Physician-Patient Relationship

  • The Physician’s Liability for the Negligence of Others

  • The Medical Record as Legal Evidence

  • Charting with a Jury in Mind

  • The Anatomy of a Lawsuit

  • Preparing the Defendant’s Case: An Attorney’s Perspective

  • What Defenses Can be Raised Against a Malpractice Claim?

  • Refusal of Treatment

  • What To Do When the Investigator Arrives

  • What To Do If You Are Sued

  • How to Survive the Deposition: Do’s and Don’ts

  • The Trial and How to Win

  • Current Developments in Hospital and Physician Liability

  • Professional Misconduct and Credentialing

  • Liability Of Web Based Medicine
  • Office Staff Topics

  • How To Protect the Doctor From Being Sued



5. Self-Study Courses email lj@bestweb.net

To Purchase access to any of these assessments or products, please use PayPal.

J & A offers an array of self-study courses which provide a convenient mechanism for physicians to obtain risk management information.

J&A offers the following self –study course for physicians: $60.00 each

Risk Prevention Skills For Physicians is a practical and thorough home-study course that uses clinical examples to present communication and record keeping skills for risk prevention.

It answers the following types of tough questions: How do you explain a complication to the patient? How do you document an error? How do you avoid looking negligent when you make the wrong clinical judgement? It uses a comprehensive set of evaluation questions as well as individual and group score reports to provide confidential feedback to physicians.

The program was designed by Dan Tennenhouse MD, JD and edited by Lee Johnson JD.

A few of the courses available through J & A for Doctors and other Healthcare Workers:

Specialty Applications is a separate learning system that requires physicians to review and apply the rules learned in Risk Prevention Skills, thereby insuring actual practice at implementation of learned skills. This learning system has a computer scored test and includes confidential individual and group score reports. The following specialty applications modules for this program are available:

Anesthesiology Pediatrics

Emergency Medicine Primary Care

Mental Health Radiology

Non-Surgical Consultants Surgery and Surgical Sub-Specialties

OB/GYN Cardiology Gastroenterology

Courses available through J & A for Ancillary Physician Employees

These self-study programs is to provide an effective approach to dealing with fundamental risk management issues facing doctors and their staffs .

"Risk Prevention Skills For Nurses" and "Risk Prevention Skills For Office and Clinical Assistants" are practical and thorough home-study courses that use clinical examples to present communication and record keeping skills for risk prevention. The programs answer the following types of tough questions: How do you explain a complication to the patient? How do you document an error? How do you avoid looking negligent when you make the wrong judgement? The programs use a comprehensive set of evaluation questions as well as individual and group score reports to provide confidential feedback to nurses and office and clinical assistants.


6. Printed and Video Materials $50.00 each email lj@bestweb.net

To Purchase access to any of these assessments or products, please use PayPal.

Video materials available exclusively through J & A:

A. Malpractice Consult - Parts one and two
Attorneys answer questions from doctors on malpractice, office practice, communications, documentation, insurance and litigation. Healthcare workers can learn from the experience of others. May be used in conjunction with handouts of Malpractice Consult columns originally published in Medical Economics magazine. Produced by American Education Institute. Each segment is 50 min long.

B. 12 Vignettes — 12 shorts focused on different doctor-patient encounters from real cases. Dramatizes doctor-patient interactions and courtroom scenes. Accompanied by discussion guide. Intended to be followed by round table discussion. In-house experts can conduct discussions or J&A is available to conduct discussion groups. Vignettes are each about 3 min. long and can be used in any number or order to suit the interests of the audience and the sponsor.
Videos Available through J&A
For the Defense — focused on documentation issues including completeness and alterations of the record. Produced by FOJP.

A Matter of Trust — focused on informed consent issues including capacity, clarity and patient responses. Produced by FOJP.


7. Useful Documents $20.00 email lj@bestweb.net

To Purchase access to any of these assessments or products, please use PayPal.

A Packet compilation of various documents to use for reference, provide information for healthcare providers or use as form letters.

  • Consent Form
    This form is to be used when discussing a procedure with the patient. It is to be completed in the presence of the patient, legal guardian and/or interpreter (if one is being used). This form must become part of the chart once it is executed.

  • MCO Appeal Letter
    When a managed care company denies benefits to a patient, the physician must acknowledge the decision of the patient not to pursue treatment with a letter that addresses the situation. This format can be used to compose such a letter. This form must become part of the chart. You may want the patient to sign the bottom of the letter or send it registered mail.

  • MCO Physician Appeal
    If the patient requests your help in pursuing payment under a managed care plan, this format is useful in setting up the appeal. You do not need to copy the patient on this correspondence, but the letter should be part of the chart once it is sent.

  • Refusal To Consent
    If a patient refuses to consent to treatment the physician recommends, this form is useful in documenting that event. It is to be completed in the presence of the patient, legal guardian and/or interpreter (if one is being used). This form must become part of the chart once it is executed.

  • Web Site Disclaimer
    Physicians with websites should be sure to disclaim any general information as an attempt to treat patients. This wording is recommended for any physician who maintains a website.

  • Withdrawal From Treatment
    When it becomes necessary to remove a patient from your practice, a letter should be directed to the patient regarding your decision. Reasons for the dismissal are optional in the letter, but the essential language is included in this template. Should be sent registered to the patient or signed by the patient in your presence. This letter must become part of your chart once it has been executed.

  • Office Staff Handbook
    This handbook provides basic information to office staff on liability issues. Office staff is often the first line of defense for an office practice and can insulate the professional staff from many of the causes of liability. Issues like courtesy, appointments, physical plan, medications, phone calls, records, confidentiality, patient complaints, legal documents, and follow-up are discussed.