Session summary: Medical malpractice claims are cited as a consequence of low health literacy. However, little is known about the types of claims involving limited health literacy. Coverys examined approximately 1500 medical malpractice claims to identify health literacy themes and risk management issues involving outcomes related to: provider-patient communication; patient factors, such as patient engagement; patient assessment, including obtaining a thorough patient and family history; and clinical decision making. We’ll present the findings of this study and offer solutions for targeting areas to work with healthcare risk managers to improve health literacy.
Learning Objectives:
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Identify health literacy themes found in claims data.
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Describe 3 high-risk issues where health literacy specialists and healthcare risk managers can work hand-in-hand to improve health literacy.
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Describe 3 health literacy, risk management solutions that can improve health literacy and reduce risk.