Our Risk Education workshops brought together more than 500 practitioners across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth for full-day CPD sessions focused on the most pressing challenges in clinical practice. Each event combined comprehensive Risk Education content with an optional CPR course, offering up to 10 hours of continuing professional education.
With expert speakers including MIPS Chief Medical Officer Dr Owen Bradfield, our medico-legal advisors, claims specialists and state-based panel law firm partners, participants received practical guidance on navigating an increasingly complex regulatory and litigation environment.
What We Covered
The workshops explored emerging risks along with established compliance requirements. Topics included the impact of AI transcription tools on clinical documentation, updates to regulatory frameworks across jurisdictions, patient safety, documentation excellence, investigations and regulatory expectations.
Using real-world scenarios and expert discussion, practitioners gained practical strategies for managing patient communication, understanding current litigation trends and strengthening their professional protection in an environment where regulatory expectations continue to rise.
Drawing on real case insights and current medico-legal data, the sessions delivered actionable guidance relevant to contemporary practice. Whether you attended in person or are catching up now, here are the key issues shaping practice moving forward.
The Top 5 Medico-Legal Issues Shaping Practice Today
1. AI tools improve efficiency but you remain accountable
AI transcription tools are changing how consultations are documented, but they come with important medico-legal considerations. These tools may improve efficiency and accuracy, but practitioners remain fully accountable for every entry in the medical record.
The essential requirement is to review, edit, and verify all AI-generated content before finalising documentation. Any errors, omissions or inappropriate wording that remain uncorrected become the practitioner’s responsibility in any future claim or regulatory investigation.
What you can do: Establish clear protocols for AI tool use, ensure adequate review time is included in your workflow and maintain documentation standards that would withstand scrutiny. For more information, refer to the MIPS AI Scribes Fact Sheet.
2. Compliance failures now attract significant penalties
Health practitioner boards across Australia are increasing their oversight, and compliance failures now attract more significant penalties. Mandatory reporting, informed consent, advertising requirements and professional conduct standards all demand careful attention.
State-specific differences add further complexity. What is required in one jurisdiction may differ substantially from another, making it essential to stay abreast of your local obligations and maintain accurate compliance records.
What you can do: Conduct a compliance review of your practice with a focus on potential areas of medicolegal compliance that may be of relevance to your practice. For example, mandatory reporting, consent documentation, adherence to advertising guidelines and professional boundaries. Address any gaps promptly.
3. Communication breakdowns are highly preventable
Communication remains one of the most common contributors to patient complaints and medico-legal claims. When patients feel unheard, dismissed or insufficiently informed, dissatisfaction can escalate quickly. This is especially important during care transitions, consent discussions and when responding to complications or unexpected outcomes.
Effective communication is both good clinical practice and strong medico-legal protection. Clear explanations, detailed consent discussions and transparent communication about risks and alternatives significantly reduce the likelihood of escalation. See Handling Complaints and Adverse Events for more guidance.
What you can do: Review your informed consent processes, ensure they are documented and consider how you approach difficult conversations when outcomes do not meet expectations.
4. Working beyond your competency creates substantial risk
Practitioners may feel pressure to expand services or adopt new procedures, but working beyond established scope of practice creates substantial medico-legal exposure. Regulatory bodies and courts expect practitioners to remain within clearly defined scope of practice, boundaries that are supported by appropriate training, credentials and ongoing professional development.
Complications arising from procedures outside a practitioner’s competency are difficult to defend. This also applies to telehealth, where scope of practice intersects with jurisdictional limitations.
What you can do: Ensure you understand the limitations of your scope of practice clearly, ensure your training and credentialing support the procedures you perform and avoid exceeding your competency without appropriate professional training.
5. Clinical records are your first line of defence
When claims arise, often years after the event, your clinical records become your most important defence. Courts and regulators place significant weight on thorough, accurate and timely documentation. Gaps, inconsistencies or retrospective amendments can undermine your position and increase the risk of an adverse outcome.
Documentation should include clinical reasoning, consent discussions, advice provided, options considered and follow-up plans. Records should tell a clear and complete story that stands up to scrutiny long after the consultation. For insights on current litigation patterns, see Medico-Legal Trends for FY25.
What you can do: Review your documentation practices against current medico-legal standards. Ensure your records are complete, legible and contemporaneous.
MIPS is here to support you
These insights reflect the real challenges practitioners face today, informed by current claims data and regulatory trends. A consistent theme across all five issues is that proactive risk management is more effective than responding after a problem arises. Small but effective changes to communication, documentation and compliance practices can provide significant protection over time.
MIPS remains committed to supporting members with expert guidance, strong indemnity protection and the resources needed to navigate an increasingly complex environment. If any of these topics raise questions about your specific circumstances, our medico-legal team is available to assist.
