Doug Wojcieszak, MA, MS
Doug Wojcieszak is a disclosure training consultant who created Sorry Works! and has trained thousands of healthcare, insurance, and legal professionals. Wojcieszak is a sought-after speaker and trainer, and Sorry Works! content (books, booklets, on-line learning, etc) has become the “go to” references for organizations dealing with adverse medical events. Sorry Works! is considered the brand name of the disclosure movement. Most recently, Wojcieszak led the transition of Sorry Works! to a 501c3 non-profit organization. As a non-profit, Sorry Works! conducts research about disclosure while continuing to fulfill traditional roles of training and advocacy.
Wojcieszak has had several personal and professional experiences with tort reform and medical malpractice issues. He lost his oldest brother to medical errors in 1998 and his family successfully sued the hospital and doctors with the case settling in 2000. The hospital attorneys – not the doctors – empathized with the Wojcieszak family, but only after the case was settled and money exchanged hands, and they did not admit fault or apologize for the fatal errors.
Around the same time his brother’s case was concluding, Mr. Wojcieszak became the Executive Director of Illinois Lawsuit Abuse Watch (I-LAW), a grass-roots, pro-tort reform group. He was able to place over 200 positive stories about lawsuit abuse and capping lawsuit damages with TV, radio, and print media throughout Illinois. During his time with I-LAW, Mr. Wojcieszak also first read and studied full-disclosure methods for medical errors as a way to lower malpractice lawsuits and liability costs as well as reduce medical errors. Mr. Wojcieszak left I-LAW in 2001 and shortly thereafter founded a public relations consulting firm. The firm had several clients, including a pro-plaintiffs group, Victims and Families United (VAFU). He served as the group’s spokesperson in 2004 and touted traditional plaintiffs/anti-tort reform messages such as insurance reform and increased doctor discipline. However, while representing VAFU, Mr. Wojcieszak revisited full-disclosure methods and created a marketing term- “Sorry Works!” - to successfully promote apologies for medical errors as the solution to the medical malpractice crisis. Mr. Wojcieszak was able to place over 50 stories about Sorry Works! during 2004 with numerous media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune, St. Louis Post Dispatch, CNBC, and a worldwide story through the Associated Press. He noticed that Sorry Works!, while agreeable to many trial lawyers, also attracted the interest and support of many doctors and insurers. These observations led Wojcieszak to create a new, separate group – The Sorry Works! Coalition – in February 2005 solely dedicated to promoting Sorry Works! and full-disclosure methods as a middle ground solution to the malpractice crisis.
Sorry Works! grew quickly over the years, attracting thousands of followers throughout the United States and around the world. The Sorry Works! website have been visited by thousands since 2005, and the group has been publicized in countless popular and trade publications, including Time Magazine, National Review, National Law Journal, and American Medical Association News. Sorry Works! has become the nation's leading disclosure training organization by providing a variety content that covers every way people learn, from on-line learning and in-person presentations to books, booklets, e-newsletters, and webinars.
In 2010, Wojcieszak was contacted by Catholic Health Partners (CHP) of Cincinnati, which had purchased Jewish Hospital where Doug’s brother died from medical errors in 1998. CHP brought Wojcieszak home to Cincinnati, apologized for his brother’s death, and explained the safety changes that have been implemented since 1998. Furthermore, Wojcieszak assisted CHP with their disclosure efforts while serving on a CHP quality and patient safety committee.
Sorry Works! has been a rewarding journey for Doug Wojcieszak — and that journey continues today.
Doug Wojcieszak earned a MA in Bioethics from The Ohio State University, MS in Biology from the University of Illinois, and BS in Zoology from Miami University (Oxford, OH).
Sample List of Past Disclosure Presentations Given by Doug Wojcieszak
Greater New York Hospital Association
Advocate Health Care, Grand Rounds, Chicago
Loyola University Health Law Seminar
Chicago Healthcare Risk Management Society Meeting
Chicago NW CPCU Society
University of Maryland Health & Law Seminar
APMC Insurance Services
American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeon State Strategies Meeting
South Carolina Hospital Association
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Annual Congressional Leadership Conference
Central Illinois CPCU Society
American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
California Medical Board
Michigan Hospital Association
Virginia Medical Society Tort Reform Summit
MacNeal Hospital (Chicago, IL)
Indiana Association for Healthcare Quality
Washington Orthopaedic Surgeons
Crittenden’s Insurance Meeting
Texas Medical Board
Kirby Pines Retirement Corporation
Tri-State Medical Group, Fort Wayne, IN
Arkansas Hospital Association
Ohio State Medical Association litigation committee
California Association for Healthcare Quality
Case Western Reserve Law School
Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
American College of Nurse Mid-Wives
Illinois Society of Healthcare Risk Management
Oklahoma Hospital Association
Clinical Laboratory Management Association (two engagements)
Federation of State Medical Boards
Australian Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery
New Jersey Medical Liability Task Force
New York State Neurological Society
Placentia Linda Hospital, Placentia, CA
PhRMA Medical Liability Conference
West Virginia Hospital Association
McLeod Health, Florence, South Carolina
Carson City Hospital (Carson City, MI)
Utah Orthopaedic Surgeons
Arizona/Western Orthopaedic Surgeons
New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals
Wisconsin Society of Healthcare Risk Management
Baylor University Medical Center
ExecuSummit Insurance Conference (twice)
Physicians Reciprocal Insurers
Colorado Patient Safety Coalition Meeting
Advocate Health Care, Chicago, IL
Holy Name Hospital, Teaneck, NJ
Texas Tech Univ. Health Science Center, El Paso, TX
Pro Mutual Insurance Company
Health Care For All, Boston, MA
CNA Insurance
RM&PSI – Las Vegas National Seminar
Cigna Healthcare, Arizona
Tampa General Hospital
Florida State University Medical School
Rutland Regional Hospital
Orlando Health
Oklahoma University School of Nursing
Western University of Health Sciences
University of Southern California Medical Center
Bethesda North Hospital (Cincinnati)
Hospital Association of Southern California
St. Luke’s Cornwall Hospital
PLICO Insurance (two CME-approved seminars)
Missouri Center for Patient Safety
Tennessee ASHRM Chapter
JUA/Marsh Insurance
Adventist Hospitals in Chicago (three separate hospitals)
The Reading Hospital and Medical Center (two engagements)
Southern California Society of Healthcare Risk Managers
CHS Hospital Risk Managers
North Carolina Association for Healthcare Quality
Canadian Ombudsman Association
JCAHO/JCR Disclosure & Apology Conference
Meadowbrook/Star Insurance Conference
Compliance Online webinars
Sun Rise Hospital, Las Vegas, NV (three engagements)
Alegent Hospital Network
Illinois Risk Management Services 23rd annual meeting
Iowa Chapter of the Society for Healthcare Consumer Advocacy
Highmark Health Care, Pittsburgh, PA
Kentucky Society for Healthcare Risk Managers
Womack Army Medical Center
Community Medical Centers, Fresno, CA
Delaware Association for Healthcare Quality
University of Texas Law School Symposium
NORMET Hospital Association
NJ Pure Medical Malpratice Insurance Company
HCA Healthcare Ethics Seminar
University of Iowa Medical Center
Marsh Risk/Claims Meeting
MGMA – Indiana and National Meeting
Illinois OB/GYN Association
Signature Healthcare
Essentia Health
Extendicare
Bayfront Medical Center, Florida
Chicago Patient Safety Forum Annual Meeting
American Academy of Physician Assistants (two engagements)
Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
Northern New England ASHRM
Kansas Risk Managers
Loyola Medical School & Hospital
Northwestern Hospital
Indiana Hospital Association
MD Advantage Insurance (two engagements)
Jane Phillips Medical Center, Bartlesville, OK
Indian Health Services
Colorado Hospital Association
Arizona Hospital Association
Southwestern Ohio CLMA
Pinnacle Partners in Medicine, Dallas, TX
ECRI Institute Risk Management Conference
Connecticut Hospital Association
Guy Carpenter Insurance Meeting
Mercy Medical Center (Iowa)
Hospital Association of Southern California
Exeter Hospital
McCullough-Hyde Hospital
MGMA National Meeting
California Patient Relations Association
Allegiance Healthcare
Defense Research Institute
Hutchinson Medical Center
Premier Physician Services
Prime One Insurance
Texas Tech Health Sciences and Hospital
Holy Spirit Hospital
Mather Lifeway
LTC (Long Term Care) Forum
Hallmark Health System