Enhancing Patient Safety through Risk Management Strategies

The risk management program aims to promote quality patient care, enhance patient satisfaction, minimize adverse events, and support a non-punitive culture that empowers staff to identify risk-related issues. The program includes event/incident/occurrence reporting, collaboration with quality/performance improvement activities, educational programs, management of patient/family complaints/grievances, claims management, reports to the governing body, protection of risk management information, and annual review/evaluation.

A RISK MANAHEMENT PLAN TEMPLATE TO BE
CUSTOMISED FOR YOUR ORGANISATION

Risk management is an integral component of a healthcare firm's standard business
practice. Healthcare Providers Service Organization (HPSO) and Nurses Service
Organization (NSO), the administrators of your professional liability insurance policy,
have partnered with CNA HealthPro (the program underwriter) to provide you with the
elements of asample risk management plan. This resource also includes references to
how that plan interfaces with the organization’s overall risk management program.Firms
may use acustomized version of the sample plan to meet the specific needs and unique
characteristics of their healthcare practice.
We encourage you to use this as a guide to develop your own risk management plan.
This is intended as a suggested general format. Please do not rely solely on the
suggested text included in this document. We recommend that you add content that is
specific to your business and clinical practice.
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[SAMPLE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN]
[ORGANIZATION NAME
BUSINESS ADDRESS
TELEPHONE NUMBER
FACSIMILE NUMBER
WEBSITE ADDRESS
EMAIL ADDRESS]
MISSION STATEMENT
[Enter organization’s mission]
Purpose
The purpose of the risk management program is to protect patients, staff members and
visitors from inadvertent injury. The program is also designed to protect the
organization’s financial assets and intangibles, such as reputation and standing in the
community.
The risk management plan is a primary tool for implementing the organization’s overall
risk management program. It is designed to provide guidance and structure for the
organization’s clinical and business services that drive quality patient care while
fostering a safe environment.
The focus of the risk management plan is to provide an ongoing, comprehensive, and
systematic approach to reducing risk exposures. Risk management activities include
identifying, investigating, analyzing, and evaluating risks, followed by selecting and
implementing the most appropriate methods for correcting, reducing, managing,
transferringand/or eliminating them.
Authority and Role of the Risk Manager
The risk manager is empowered by the governing body to implement the functions and
activities of the risk management program with the assistance of the patient care and
administrative staffs. The governing body has overall responsibility for the effectiveness
of the program and providing the necessary resources. The governing body’s
responsibilities are supported through regular written and verbal communications
regarding risk management activities that may affect the organization’s finances.
The role of the risk manager is to maintain a proactive risk management program in
compliance with the provisions of federal, state, and local statutes, applicable scope of
practice and regulations. The organization may participate with voluntary accrediting
organizations. The risk manager is responsible for creating, implementing, and
evaluating the outcome of the risk management plan. These activities should be
coordinated withquality/performance improvement, infection control,
organizational/patient safety and environment of care management. The specific
description of the risk manager’s role should be addressed in a separate job description
approved by the governing body.
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The risk management program is formally addressed through designated committees,
such as the risk management committee, safety committee, and quality/performance
improvement committee.
Scope
Under the direction of the risk manager, the risk management program provides for
collaboration among all departments, services, and patient care professionals within the
organization. The risk management program provides policies, procedures and protocols
to address events which may create business-related liability, professional liability,
general liability, workers’ compensation, and motor vehicle liability exposures. The
identification, investigation and management of accidents, injuries and other potentially
compensable events are a primary responsibility under the risk management plan. This
process is directed by the risk manager and others who are delegated to participate in
the various components of managing adverse events occurring with patients, staff,
visitors and organizational assets.
Risk management will influence, persuade and educate leaders within the following
departmentsin order to achieve quality care in a safe environment and protect the
organization’s resources:
- Administration
- Allied Health and Adjunct Professional Services
- Billing Services
- Business Development and Marketing
- Clinical and Ancillary Services
- Data/Health Information and Privacy Management
- Employee Health
- Human Resources
- Infection Control
- Legal Services
- Medical Equipment
- Medical Staff (if applicable)
- Medical Staff Credentialing (if applicable)
- Patient Relations
- Quality/Performance Improvement
- Safety Management/Environment of Care
- Security Management
- Utilization Management
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Objectives of the Risk Management Program
The objectives of the risk management program include, but are not limited to:
- promoting the quality of patient care, in collaboration with quality/performance
improvement activities
- enhancing patient satisfaction
- minimizing the frequency and severity of adverse events
- supporting a non-punitive culture that promotes awareness and empowers staff to
identify risk-related issues
- enhancing patient safety through participation in National Patient Safety Goals,
organizational safety strategies and other patient safety initiatives
- enhancing environmental safety for patients, visitorsand staff through participation in
environment of care-related activities
- utilizing risk management strategies to identify and minimize the frequency and
severity of near misses, incidents and claims
- managing adverse events and injuries to minimize financial loss
- evaluating systems that can contribute to patient care, error or injury
- educating stakeholders on emerging and known risk exposures and risk reduction
initiatives
- achieving requirements promulgated by accrediting organizations
- complying with state-specific scope of practice, applicable laws, regulations and
standards
Specific Components
The risk management programme will include the following components:
Event/Incident/Occurrence reporting
Event reporting is intended to provide a systematic, organization-wide program of
reporting risk exposures to identify potential future liability. The risk management
program includes an event reporting system that is used to identify, report, track, and
trend patterns of events with the potential for causing adverse patient outcomes or other
injuries to people, property or other assets of the organization. It is designed to reduce or
ameliorate preventable injuries and property damage, and minimize the financial severity
of claims.
The risk manag er tracks and trends event data in order to report those findings to the
quality/performance improvement department and the department(s) involved in the
events for follow-up action.
Certain specific events must be reported to governmental agencies (Sentinel Events)
through delineated methods. This is often a responsibility of the risk manager and
compliance within established guidelines and time frames is critical.
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Reporting risk management activities as part of thequality/performance
improvement process
Recognizing that the effectiveness of risk management activities is contingent
uponcollaboration and integration with the quality/performance improvement activities,
the risk manager will work with quality/performance improvement staff to coordinate
activities between the two disciplines. This will enhance the identification and resolution
of risk and quality issues.
Educational activities
The risk manager will provide or facilitate orientation programs for all new employees
and contracted staff. A separate annual educational program will be provided to focus
awareness of risk exposures and current risk prevention activities. Other in-service and
training programs should be provided as identified through the ongoing monitoring,
tracking and trending of events and/or as requested by a staff member within the
organization.
Management of patient and family complaints/grievances
The organization will have a formal written process for managing patient and family
complaints/grievances. This process should detail response to and resolution of patient
and family complaints. It should include time frames for responding, the chain-of-
command used for problem-resolution, and documentation of the activities involved.
Patient satisfaction
The organization will measure patient satisfaction and respond to issues identified in
patient satisfaction surveys. The risk manager will monitor complaints and report findings
related to quality/performance improvement. Of equal importance is risk management’s
direct participation in resolution of complaints, as appropriate.
CLAIMS MANAGEMENT
In some organizations, claims management is a function outside the risk management
programme and may have a separate staff with unique policies, procedures and
protocols. If the claims management function is included in the risk management plan, it
should be composed of the following elements:
- reporting potentially compensable events, unexpected outcomes or patient
complaintsto the involved department manager, the insurance carrier as appropriate
and the organization’s risk manager
- performing initial and ongoing investigation and interviews
- documenting activities and correspondence related to the investigation of the event
- protecting and preserving the patient health information record and/or other
documents and evidence for potential future litigation.
- organizing, managing and maintaining claim files
- limiting access to claim files to only authorized individuals under direct supervision of
the risk manager
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- coordinating activities with the defense team and providing input into the strategy for
each claim
- reporting claim management activity to quality/performance improvement and
appropriate organizational leaders
- participating in establishing defense/settlement posture
- resolving claims within established limits of authority
- maintaining confidentiality of protected documents
- reviewing, vetting and accepting legal service as appropriate
- timely forwarding subpoenas, summons and complaints to legal counsel
REPORTS TO THE GOVERNING BODY
The risk manager will provide periodic reports to the governing body butat least annually.
The report will summarize activities, achievements, and on-going risk management
issues that occurred since the prior report.
Additional or ad hoc communication should be held with the governing body for Sentinel
Events, significant changes in claim reserves, claims scheduled for trial, events that may
result in adverse publicity or news media attention, and severe patient injuries deemed
highly likely to result in litigation.
The final annual risk management report should include all the above along with
recommendations for risk control activities and identified resource needs for the coming
fiscal year.
PROTECTION OF RISK MANAGEMENT INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THE
QUALITY/PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME
Risk management data and information collected should be maintained as a component
of the organization’s quality/performance improvement program and reported to the
quality/performance improvement committee and/or designated subcommittees. This
structure may result in findings being considered privileged and confidential and may be
distributed outside the quality/performance improvement process only at the direction
and with the written consent of legal counsel.
REVIEW OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT PLAN
The risk management plan will be reviewed, updated, and approved annually, or as
needed. Dated signatures and titles from appropriate parties should be obtained at the
time of the approval.
ANNUAL EVALUATION OF THE RISK MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME
The risk management program will be evaluated by the governing body annually.
Recommendations for enhancements are incorporated into the program prior to final
approval.
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________________________________ ___________________________
Signature and Title Date
________________________________ ___________________________
Signature and Title Date
________________________________ ___________________________
Signature and Title Date
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