Liability concerns: a view from the American College of Nurse-Midwives

The national office of the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) is the center of day-to-day administration for the professional organization. Staff members respond to requests for information and assistance from certified nurse-midwives or certified midwives and facilitate the work of the Board, Divisions, and Committees. This article reviews the questions most frequently asked of the Professional Services department about risk management and professional liability issues and summarizes the most important lessons learned from the calls received. The focus is on 5 topic areas: 1) collaboration confusion, 2) systems needed to implement and effectively track diagnostic tests and referrals, 3) expansion of services beyond the core competencies, 4) patient satisfaction and patient complaints, and 5) maintaining medical malpractice coverage.