Mastering Medical Legal Report Writing: Mitigating Implicit Bias

Time limit: 365 days

Delve into the intricacies of medical legal report writing and unlock your potential to create reports that withstand scrutiny, effectively communicate findings, and serve as compelling evidence in legal proceedings. Understand the impact of unconscious bias, stereotyping, and discrimination on medical assessments, and gain insights into how these biases can inadvertently influence perceptions and decision-making, leading to disparities in healthcare strategies. Learn practical techniques to mitigate implicit bias in your evaluations and report writing. You'll also examine the evaluation and rating of permanent disability resulting from industrial breast cancer cases to understand how gender bias can potentially impact an assessment of the impairment resulting from breast cancer and its treatment. Learn to author medical legal reports that prioritize accuracy and fairness, in alignment with the highest standards of ethical medical practice.

Led by esteemed experts in the field, this course combines in-depth knowledge, practical insights, and interactive learning to empower you as a physician.

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this activity, the learner will be able to:

Recognize and discuss differences in human experience, as well as implicit or unconscious bias, stereotyping, and discrimination, and the ways in which unconscious bias can unintentionally impact perceptions and decision-making, including in medical evaluations and reporting, and lead to disparities in health care strategies, to help eliminate or reduce implicit bias in medical evaluations and reporting
Identify potential racial bias, in which an apportionment rating is made based on an assumption about a risk factor related solely to the injured worker’s race, and discuss strategies to mitigate racial bias
Identify potential gender bias, in which an apportionment rating is made based on an assumption about a risk factor related solely to the injured worker’s gender, and discuss strategies to mitigate gender bias
Examine evaluation and rating of permanent disability resulting from industrial breast cancer, taking into account the ways in which gender bias could potentially impact an assessment of the impairment that results from breast cancer and its treatment

Audience:

This educational activity is intended for Qualified Medical Evaluators (QMEs), clinicians including MD/DO, physician assistants, registered nurses, nurse practitioners, and others involved in the California Workers' Compensation system.

Course Format & Cancellation Policies:

This course is a recorded, on-demand course offering, made available online through Canvas Instructure. Once purchased, you will have access to the course for 365 days. This course will expire on September 30, 2026, regardless of purchase date. All sales of on-demand online classes are final. No refunds will be made for cancellations.

Accreditation:

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health designates this activity for a maximum of 3.25 Contact Hours. Participants should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is accredited by the California Medical Association to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Center for Occupational and Environmental Health designates this online enduring material for a maximum of 3.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Provider approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number 12983, for 3.25 contact hours.

The UC Berkeley Center for Occupational and Environmental Health is a DIR DWC approved QME Continuing Education Course Provider (Provider No. 420). Qualified Medical Evaluators may report up to 3.25 hours of credit for QME reappointment.

Accessibility:

If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) to fully participate in this event, please contact Michelle Meyer at (510) 642-8365 or mmeyer@berkeley.edu.

Disclosure:

No individuals involved in the planning or presentation of this activity have any relevant financial relationships with commercial interests to disclose.

Released: November 2023
Expires: September 30, 2026