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Health and behavioral health care (HBH) organizations and providers implementing suicide prevention practices often have concerns about liability and legal issues. Providing quality patient care while minimizing liability risk is a priority across HBH organizations, especially when caring for patients at risk for suicide. Liability risks can be reduced when providers deliver patient-centered care with embedded systems-level communication and documentation practices.

Health and behavioral health care organizations can support providers and manage risk by adopting practices that ensure that suicide risk is properly identified and assessed, timely and effective treatment that allows for patient choice and involvement is provided, patient health information is appropriately communicated between providers, patients and collaterals, and documentation is thorough.

This webinar will explore the legal and liability issues related to implementing systems-level changes designed to improve suicide care practices. Participants will hear from three experts who will discuss common liability concerns including those related to confidentiality and HIPAA, key elements considered in liability cases, and strategies to minimize liability against a provider or health care organization.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to (1) Identify misconceptions related to provider liability in litigation involving patient suicide; (2) Describe suicide care practices that are of particular importance in liability cases; and (3) Explain system- or organizational-level improvements to suicide care that can enhance an organization’s abilities to deliver quality care and minimize liability concerns.