This is an excerpt from a member-only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe.

Medical malpractice. These are perhaps the two most feared words in the healthcare industry. Whether you're a physician or a physician practice staff member, the onset of a liability lawsuit is scary and overwhelming. The key to winning the case before it even begins is to keep fool-proof medical documentation. "From the malpractice standpoint, I just can't think of another variable that has as much impact in defending a case," says Paul Frisch, general counsel to the Oregon Medical Association.