Physician Nurse Patient Communications

Often times there are miscommunications or even worse no communication between staff and  physician regarding patient communications.  The video and following explain a method to avoid lack of communications.

Phillip Hanck, MD a plastic surgeon in Seattle, WA discusses methods to reduce risk of medico-legal issues and to improve the quality of care.



Dr Planck's message is to be certain all contacts via phone or written communication, social media such as messenger must be recorded in the medical record.  Staff must be educated as to the imporance of recording these contacts.

Staff must also be aware that these tools are NOT  HIPAA compliant..  The electronic health record and/ or a patient portal may be a better method of communication with patients.

It should be emphasized to the staff the signifcant penalties for ignoring HIPAA regulations. Questions regarding this issue should be referred to the compliance officer of the medical practice.








 Innovations in Patient Safety - YouTube