Essay on Healthcare Risk Mgt: Ensuring Patient Safety & Meeting Regulations

Introduction

The importance of a risk management program in a healthcare setting cannot be underestimated. The main purpose of a risk management plan in a healthcare setup is more inclined to patient safety other than financial safety as in other industries (World Health Organization, 2017). Apart from patient safety, thes e plans are effective in ensuring that a facility meets the required federal regulations and reduces medical errors. In this paper, we shall analyze a health care risk management plan as it applies to healthcare settings.

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Summary of Patient Risk Management Plan

Patient safety is critical in any healthcare organization. The plans for risk management evolve around patient-specific risks, which are critical in ensuring that patient safety remains the main point of focus during their course of treatment (Alam, 2016). Besides, human errors are critical in patient safety because they are known to contribute to significant risks such as death and readmission.

Patient Risk Management Plans apply in a large healthcare facility such as a referral hospital that treats all kinds of conditions and emergencies. Such facilities address very complex pathological conditions and can house patients for long periods to ensure their full recovery. It is crucial to maintain quality healthcare provision, as it affects financial performance and placing the brand in a higher profile (Alam, 2016). St. Jude Children's' Hospital, for example, has made patient care a priority in its operation, and it maintains a high priority risk management plan that focuses on central line infection, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, and patient satisfaction. Tracking such important information has helped the hospital determine the quality as well as safety of care and have made significant improvements over the years (Bunting Jr. & Groszkruger, 2016).

Standard Administrative Steps and Processes

There are five basic steps in the risk management model for any organization. Identification of the context involves establishing the source of a specific risk, for instance, if it is the emergency care unit, blood transfusion, medical or medication management (Bunting Jr. & Groszkruger, 2016). The procedures include risk identification which ensures that the healthcare provider is aware of the risks involved in the departments of health provision and the environment. The analysis comprises the development of an understanding of the involved risk, including the establishment of the causes, the levels of risk, and the existing control measures (Alam, 2016). Evaluation involves prioritizing risks based on their score in risk analysis, thus enabling one to decide risks that require treatment and the strategy required for addressing. The last step is risk mitigation/reduction which often aims to improve the present conditions. The measures are taken in consistence with the internal, external, and risk management contexts per the goals and objectives of the organization (Bunting Jr. & Groszkruger, 2016). Patient Risk assessment plans in a hospital set up follow similar procedures. Exercising patient safety revolves around preventing, reducing, diverting, or even addressing risks that may not be avoidable in the healthcare setting. The standards of compliance are set around technical evaluation to assess the performance of each department in the healthcare setting (World Health Organization, 2017). The action plan includes proposed actions, resources, assigned roles as well as periods for implementation.

Regulation

Some of the governing organizations that regulate the administration of safe care include the Department of Human Services (HHS), the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They act as an oversight in ensuring that risks are well managed and that the facility is in compliance with the set standards. FDA, for example, ensures that any drug or chemical that is applied in a healthcare setting is approved and safe to be applied in human subjects. It also promotes quality by increasing efficiency and knowledge transfer thus reducing catch-up work that is done this mediating the effects of poor quality (World Health Organization, 2017).

Evaluation of Risk Management Compliance with Standards

A safety policy in the facility ensures that topics that revolve around patient safety and quality control are strategically implemented within the established MIPPA-accrediting body standards as well as the HIPPA compliance. Quality control is critical from sampling, reporting, ensuring that qualified staff is employed and audit checks are implemented within a specified period. Risk management strategies can be used effectively in the identification and minimization of the frequency of severity, incidence and claims (Alam, 2016). Also, system evaluation is crucial as it helps reduce error injury, thus contributing maximally to patient care.

Recommendations

Patient risks are evolving with improvement in healthcare procedures and standards due to improvement in technology. It is crucial to note that, even with such improvements, hospitals have been lax to update their risk management plans to meet the current technological advancements. With the improvement in healthcare provision, patient safety is also improving. However, it is the role of hospital management to update their risk management plans, thus identifying new risks that arise with improvement in technology especially in health provision. These plans should be able to identify and mitigate these risks for the organization to determine the most effective way of mitigating them. Updating risk management plans also informs the management and the stakeholders of the new measures to be taken in managing upcoming risks in the future.

Conclusion

To conclude, patient risk management plans are highly effective in ensuring patient safety, as well as ensuring that hospitals and other healthcare facilities comply with the set standards by regulatory bodies. These plans are effective in not only improving patient care but also minimizing financial losses that are suffered by organizations that are not in compliance. With regulatory bodies such as HHS, FDA, and MIPPA accreditation bodies developing such plans, organizations have no choice but to comply. It is also crucial to note that with changes in technology in healthcare delivery, patient risk management plans need to be updated regularly to ensure compliance.

References

Alam, A. Y. (2016). Steps in the process of risk management in healthcare. J Epid Prev Med, 2(2), 118. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ali_Alam/publication/308888285_Steps_in_the_Process_of_Risk_Management_in_Healthcare/links/57f4d72908ae8da3ce54ebe9/Steps-in-the-Process-of-Risk-Management-in-Healthcare.pdf

Bunting Jr, R. F., & Groszkruger, D. P. (2016). From to err is human to improving diagnosis in health care: the risk management perspective. Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, 35(3), 10-23. doi: 10.1002/jhrm.21205

World Health Organization. (2017). Patient safety: making health care safer (No. WHO/HIS/SDS/2017.11). World Health Organization.