Tactics Discussed:

• Recognizing disruptive behavior
• Addressing disruptive behaviors
• Skills training in the Cup of Coffee conversation model for addressing disruptive behavior

Presenter:

Gerald B. Hickson, MD, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs
Director,Clinical Risk Reduction and Loss Prevention
Director, Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy
Dr. Hickson is the Joseph C. Ross Chair in Medical Education and Administration, Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs, Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy, Director of Clinical Risk and Loss Prevention, Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Professor of Family and Health Systems Nursing at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Hickson received a BS from the University of Georgia and his MD from Tulane University School of Medicine. He completed his pediatric residency and a fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital.

Dr. Hickson joined the faculty of the Department of Pediatrics in 1982. He served six years as Chief of Pediatric Outpatient Services for the Vanderbilt Clinic. In 2003, Dr. Hickson was appointed Associate Dean for Clinical Affairs and Director of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy. In 2005, he was named Director of Clinical Risk and Loss Prevention and Chairman of the Self-Insurance Trust Committee. He was named the first Joseph C. Ross professor of Medical Education and Administration in 2007.

Since 1990, Dr. Hickson's research has focused on why families choose to file suit, why certain physicians attract a disproportionate share of claims and how to identify and intervene with high risk physicians. His findings have brought great insight into the fact that individual physicians and groups can, in a positive way, reduce their risk of unnecessary litigation. His work has resulted in over 100 peer review articles and chapters, the creation of the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA), the development of the PARS peer-review system, currently used at 34 institutions across the country, and several educational initiatives to promote disclosure of medical errors and address the disruptive professional. Dr. Hickson currently serves as Chairman of the National Patient Safety Foundation Board of Governors. He has served as chairperson of the Quality Care Committee for the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) and was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Quality Improvement. He received the award for Excellence in Research and Teaching from the Ambulatory Pediatric Association, the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy's Award for National Healthcare Patient Advocacy and the Vanguard Award for the Advancement of Patient Safety from the Doctor's Company Foundation.