Hidden in Plain Sight: Diagnostic Vulnerabilities in the Ambulatory Setting

Hidden in Plain Sight: Diagnostic Vulnerabilities in the Ambulatory Setting

Diagnostic errors are the leading cause of medical malpractice claims, often stemming from system failures that are "hidden in plain sight." This session (recorded March 21, 2026) provides a data-driven deep dive into closed-claim analytics to expose the most common diagnostic pitfalls in the ambulatory setting, from missed test results to follow-up failures. Participants will learn to identify high-risk triggers in the office-based environment—particularly those related to cancer diagnoses—and receive clear guidance on how to strengthen your clinical systems. Participants will gain practical, actionable strategies to improve diagnostic accuracy, close communication loops, and mitigate liability while fostering a culture of safety in outpatient practice.

Faculty

Dana Siegal, RN, CPHRM, CPPS
Vice President, Risk Management and Analytics, Coverys

Intended Audience

• Practicing physicians and physician leaders
• Senior-level health care executives
• Nurses and advanced practice providers
• Public health and government leaders
• CIOs, CMIOs, and innovation leaders in health care technology

Course Objectives
Upon completion of this activity, learners should be able to:

• Understand the prevalence of diagnostic error in office-based practices, diagnoses that are commonly missed, injury severity, and other key data from closed claims analysis.
• Identify key vulnerabilities and risk issues — through the lens of malpractice cases — that contribute to diagnostic error in the Office-Based practice.
• Discuss proactive strategies to reduce the risk of diagnostic error in the office-based practice.

Accreditation & Credit Information
Accreditation Statement  
The Massachusetts Medical Society is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

AMA Credit Designation Statement 
The Massachusetts Medical Society designates this enduring material for a maximum of 0.75 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

This activity meets the criteria for the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine for risk management study.

National Commission on Certification of Physicians Assistant (NCCPA)
Physician Assistants may claim a maximum of 0.75 Category 1 credit for completing this activity. NCCPA accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by ACCME or a recognized state medical society.

Exam/Assessment: A score of 70% or higher is required to receive AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  

Course Fees:
Massachusetts Medical Society (MMS) Physician Member: $30.00
MMS Resident/Student Member: FREE
Non-Member Physician: $67.50
Non-Members Resident/Student: $15.00
Allied Health Professional/Other: $24.00

Activity Term:
Original Release Date: June 17, 2026
Review Date(s): N/A 
Termination Date: June 17, 2029

Format and Estimated Time to Complete: Video recording / 45 minutes

System Requirements
Desktops/Laptops
Windows 10
Mac OSX 10.6 higher

Most modern browsers including
IE 11+
Firefox 18.0+
Chrome latest version
Safari 12+

Mobile/Tablet
iOS devices beginning with OS version 10 or higher (includes, iPhone, iPad and iTouch devices)

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Contact Us
Contact us at nejmcust@mms.org  or (800) 843-6356. Massachusetts Medical Society, 860 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451.