Thomas L. Miller, M.D., was a physician and surgeon who moved to Portland in 1956 to begin his medical career by completing an internship at Providence Hospital and a residency at Physicians & Surgeons Hospital. While continuing his work within the Providence Hospital System, Dr. Miller joined the Oregon Medical Association’s (OMA) Professional Consultation Committee in the early 1970s, later renamed the Malpractice Loss Prevention Education Committee. As part of his work, Miller taught workshops instructing physicians how to practice medicine in ways that better served the patient while also helping the physician to avoid malpractice lawsuits. He still worked with the program after retiring from active practice in 1997.
In this interview, Miller shares his memories and opinions regarding his personal approach to interacting with patients and how the Malpractice Loss Prevention Education Committee came to exist. He discusses his years of instructing physicians regarding best practices in patient care, the importance of proper documentation in medical records, and cross-departmental communication. Additionally, Miller describes many of the changes he has witnessed in medical care from 1958 to 2006, including anecdotes about providing surgery, pharmaceutical representatives, the decrease in a sense of congeniality, working at Providence Hospital, and the negative impacts of managed care.