Our History & Mission
Mission Statement:
The Sorry Works! mission is to advance the disclosure and apology movement to benefit patients, families, doctors, and nurses in both acute and long-term care as well as the healthcare, insurance, and legal professionals who support them.
History of Sorry Works!
Sorry Works! was founded by Doug Wojcieszak in 2005.
Doug lost his oldest brother, Jim, to medical errors in 1998. Jim’s chart was mixed up with his father’s chart, which led to a missed diagnosis/delay in diagnosis of a heart attack. He languished in the hospital for two days, and when the hospital staff finally figured out their mistake it was too late: Jim died during emergency open heart surgery. This tragedy was compounded by a total lack of transparency. The medical staff was not empowered or trained to communicate with the Wojcieszak family, and the hospital tried to cover up their errors. The Wojcieszak family filed a medical malpractice lawsuit and were successful in litigation, but even after money exchanged hands and liability waivers signed the hospital lawyers couldn’t (or wouldn’t) apologize, explain the mistakes that happened, and discuss how the hospital’s processes would be corrected so it wouldn’t happen to the next patient and family. It was a maddening process.
At the time of Jim’s death, Doug was working as a staff professional in the Illinois legislature. He was able to use his technical/scientific background (BS, MS in Biology) on a variety of public policy issues, including medical malpractice reform. Moreover, Doug’s time in the legislature was like earning a second Masters degree in public relations, advocacy, and coalition building. In 2001, Doug read about a unique program by the Lexington, Kentucky Veterans Administration Hospital that encouraged their doctors to disclose and apologize for medical errors and fairly compensate patients and families without litigation. Much to the surprise of many, this candid approach actually reduced medical malpractice lawsuits and litigation expenses while improving safety. The Lexington approach made all the sense in the world to Doug, both as a family member and as a public policy/public relations professional. Anger – not greed – is what drives so many families (including the Wojcieszak family) to file medical malpractice lawsuits. Consumers become angry when they perceive cover ups and lack of accountability, yet they can be very understanding of mistakes when they receive genuine and meaningful apologies. Doug thought the Lexington story needed to be shared with the world.
Doug launched Sorry Works! in 2005 as a pro-bono project through his public relations firm. Doug’s initial goal with Sorry Works! was to provide an identity and home to the fledging disclosure & apology movement. Long story short, Sorry Works! has grown far beyond initial expectations.
Sorry Works! has become the brand name of the disclosure & apology movement, and is a leading advocacy and training organization for this important issue. From 2005 through 2016, Sorry Works! produced two books (Sorry Works! 2.0 and the Sorry Works! Tool Kit Book) and one booklet (The Little Book of Empathy) and sold over 35,000 copies of this content in the United States. Sorry Works! 2.0 has been translated into Japanese and Korean, the Little Book of Empathy has been translated into Japanese, and the Tool Kit Book and Little Book of Empathy have been translated into Chinese. The publication of these books/booklets led to hundreds of compensated speeches, webinars, and training engagements for healthcare organizations in every state as well as Canada, Australia, and Poland. Sorry Works! has also developed on-line disclosure training content for healthcare professionals, and the Sorry Works! website along with social media sites have been visited by thousands of healthcare, insurance, and legal professionals since 2005. Moreover, Sorry Works! has provided countless interviews for popular and trade media publications over the last 14 years.
When Sorry Works! began in 2005 the idea of doctors discussing a medical error with a family and saying “sorry” was controversial and even taboo. Most veteran physicians and nurses will candidly admit to being instructed never to say “sorry” to patients and families. Today, disclosure is widely accepted among healthcare, insurance, and legal professionals. Sorry Works! can take much credit for this cultural and ethical shift in medicine.
Despite the success of Sorry Works! and the disclosure movement, much works remains. Many healthcare, insurance, and legal professionals still need to be trained how to say “sorry” and receive appropriate support in the aftermath of a medical error. Moreover, we need to learn the best methods to teach disclosure to medical professionals and how to implement successful disclosure programs in hospitals, doctors’ offices, nursing homes, and other healthcare organizations.
Brief History of Sorry Works’ Financial Structure
When Sorry Works! was launched in 2005, disclosure was a controversial topic, and Sorry Works! and its Founder, Doug Wojcieszak, were unknowns. Incorporating Sorry Works! as a non-profit organization and seeking grants and donations did not seem like a prudent strategy in 2005. Instead, Sorry Works! was initially organized as an Illinois limited liability company (LLC) and used funds from book sales and paid speeches and training seminars to support advocacy work. This business model generated significant income from 2005 through 2016. However, beginning in 2014, the revenue stream began declining because other organizations/other professionals and consultants entered the disclosure training arena. Moreover, there are only so many paid speeches and books that can be sold on a particular topic. Nevertheless, there is still a lot work to be done on disclosure, especially in the area of research. Disclosure is commonly accepted now, but there are knowledge gaps with this issue. Sorry Works! is uniquely positioned to conduct this research, and in 2017 the organization was transitioned to a 501c3 non-profit organization to be able to accept grants and other charitable support. Sorry Works! can and still does provide paid speeches and training seminars and also sells books and other content, and this revenue supports the non-profit Sorry Works! However, as a 501c3 non-profit organization, Sorry Works! can seek revenue from new sources for different work – primarily research --- that would be not be accessible to a limited liability corporation.
Questions about Sorry Works! history or financial structure? Please contact Doug Wojcieszak directly at 618-559-8168 (cell) or e-mail doug@sorryworks.net or dougwojcieszak@yahoo.com.
Sorry Works’ Unique Attributes That Position it to Serve the Disclosure Movement;
Sorry Works! Founder Doug Wojcieszak has experienced medical errors twice in his family, and Wojcieszak has trained thousands of healthcare, insurance, and legal professionals on disclosure techniques and principles. Wojcieszak is also a PR professional by training. Sorry Works! is uniquely positioned to serve the disclosure movement, especially with educating the public.
Sorry Works! doesn’t pull punches – we are not owned by a healthcare consulting company or insurer worried about “relationships” with clients or potential clients. Nor are we wedded to any patient safety advocacy groups. We call them like we see them. Sorry Works! is a clear, unencumbered voice for the disclosure movement, which is so important when discussing transparency!
Sorry Works! is the brand of the disclosure movement, and very well-known in healthcare, insurance, and legal circles. We have a large following.
Sorry Works! is the only national organization dedicated solely to disclosure and apology. It’s what we do 24/7.
Sorry Works! is the only national disclosure training organization with an active website that attracts countless visitors every day, regular e-newsletters, and vibrant social media presence.
Sorry Works! is a long-standing, reputable source for popular and trade media outlets. Reporters know us.
We have a virtual library of content about disclosure that will continue to be upgraded and updated.