The Rewards of Due Diligence

The Rewards of Due Diligence

Robert M. Blumm, PA-C Emeritus, DFAAPA

Consultant to CM&F

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One of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis, has been attributed by the internet with these insightful

words: “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and

change the ending.” Take a full sixty seconds and contemplate those words. What situations do

you regret? What decisions can you make that will positively change the future? Life is about

choices. Every decision that we consider comes with a price tag and, therefore, we must study

the facts, deliberate the concerns and, then, progress to the best choice.

Whether you are in your late twenties or your thirties, or if you are retiring, you will have the

opportunity to purchase a home. What goes into your data base as you struggle to make the best

decision that will give you security and a sense of calm?

A home-seeker can start by thinking of those oft repeated words: location, location, location.

You may love the West Coast, but your decision-making process might include a consideration

of the fires as well as other geographically anchored issues. Many would love to move to the

Gulf Region, particularly Louisiana with its charm and famous haunts such as may be found in

New Orleans, but you may be checked by fearing the loss of all your possessions due to rising

sea levels of certain cities and parishes, or power of nature in a devastating hurricane with little

time and ability to flee.

Who purchases a home and property without the most up-to-date knowledge and the most

inclusive insurance? The purchaser can become part of a geographical catastrophe if they are

slothful when it comes to due diligence: the global realities of war and poverty, regional

development and housing markets, and, particularly, climate change accompanied by extreme

heat, drought, wildfires in the western states and, more recently, downpours, causing flooding in

the bread basket, and the increasing threat caused by hurricanes in the eastern states.

The slogan says “hindsight is 20/20.” In retrospect, what would even the most adventurous

people change as they evaluate their choices? The decisions that we make as we enter into the

profession of healing need to be far more carefully studied and contemplated. We have seen the

toll that the pandemic has taken on every medical professional working around the clock, dealing

with contamination, suffering, and death. This includes every member of the medical support

team, including, among many, physicians, PAs and NPs, nurses, ambulance personnel, and our

police and fire departments.

What are some of the more vulnerable specialties to practice in, such as emergency medicine,

nursing home gerontology, urgent care, and mental health? We must care for individuals and

communities confronted with disaster, tragedy, and loss of income and belongings. We boldly

confront epidemics, pandemics, drug and supply shortages, and changing legislation. Some have

made the choice to care for our communities at the price of their own lives and the welfare of

their children. We are most often the unsung heroes while the spotlight centers on politicians,

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gross earnings, and disastrous events of the day. Amidst these considerations are the false

assertions that:

? “PAs and NPs do not need additional malpractice insurance;”

? “You can never lose your home in a malpractice case;”

? “You have only a very slight chance of a criminal charge due to a medical error.”

Yet we have seen two nationally covered events, in 2022 alone, where a medical or nursing

professional has been criminally charged.

I recently received a quote from a former patient: “Don’t carry your mistakes around with you.

Instead, place them under your feet and use them as stepping stones to rise above them.” What

great advice to all of us as we are confronted with the results of our decisions. Home buyers and

clinicians have quite a bit in common: a need to do their homework and to have the appropriate

insurance to ensure that their money has brought them protection from the firestorms that we

may potentially face in our futures. I have been an advocate for personal liability insurance for

all PAs and NPs. With our expanded degrees and diverse responsibilities, we are more

vulnerable than ever. We need to awaken from our dreams and make an active decision to

change this variable today.

“It almost seems impossible until it’s done.” ~ Nelson Mandela