Risk and Quality Management

The main objective of healthcare professionals is to provide the best quality of patient care and the highest level of patient safety. To achieve that objective, there are many organizations that help improve the quality of care. One of the best examples is the Joint Commission. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is not free from total risks. In healthcare activities, there are possible errors, mistakes, near miss and adverse events. All of those negative events are preventable. But, it is clear that errors caused in healthcare result in thousands of deaths in the United States.

The third long-term goal of a health care organization like a hospital is remain compliant and achieve and maintain accreditation. This can be achieved through other long and short-term goals. If the short-term goals of self-assessments, education, and implementation of quality improvement processes are put into place, the organization can be successful with their quality management program. Upper-level management will need to address this success and work to ensure that the policies and procedures put into place are maintained.

Patient safety and risk management should be intertwined in the organization. Patient safety is where the patient does not experience unnecessary harm or pain or other suffering during their treatment (Youngberg, 2011). Minimizing risk is to decrease unnecessary losses or improve or implement process that will decrease adverse event (Youngberg, 2011). The Samantha Jones adverse event is a perfect example to enhance patient safety through improved process or project. To understand the event a root analysis needs to be done and action items are created from this analysis.

Quality management is essential to the success of the quality improvement of the health care industry. “Management uses management and planning tools to organize the decision making process and create a hierarchy when faced with competing priorities “( Ransom, et al., 2008). Quality measures should have these goals: effective, safe, efficient, patient-centered, equitable, and timely care (Quality Measures, Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, 2011).

Throughout this course I have learned about the various challenges that impede productivity and efficiency at today’s hospitals. These issues facing the modern healthcare organization come in varying forms from technological, staffing, and financial to name a few. There are no limits to what hospitals can face in these modern technologically savvy times. Below are the major issues that today’s hospitals are facing, though there are many facets to these topics it will be described as best as possible to meet overall challenges:

Risk management is designed to mitigate safety concerns, assure quality and protect patients’ rights. Risk management is both proactive-eliminating risks before they can occur, and reactive-after a risk has occurred, taking steps so if will not occur again. Every

Risk management in health care is critical as it is the umbrella that covers many different areas from protecting patient information, ensuring proper procedures in the handling of medications, educating and providing training to all employees, and so much more. Risk management is critical because ensures the facility is operating within regulation. Quality management establishes the functionality of providing patients with quality care for a decent market value, which includes good customer service, timely visits and advanced technology.

Evergreen Woods health and rehabilitation center is located in Spring Hill Florida. The center has been serving Hernando County for over 25 years. Services that the center offers are: Post-acute services, Rehabilitative services, skilled nursing, Short and long term care through physical, occupational and speech therapists. The mission of Evergreen Woods health and rehabilitation center is to provide comprehensive services to meet the care of the residents and patients. They strive to meet customer satisfaction daily and follow core values to obtain excellence in care.

Risk Management and Quality Improvement/ Together At Last-Part 2 By: Darr, K, Hospital Topics; 1999 Spring Vol. 77, Issue 2

Risk and quality management are vital to operating any kind of organization, but more so when dealing with an organization such as a hospital. Dealing with the lives and wellbeing of others is a huge responsibility. Some hospitals deal with more areas of services than others. Take John Muir Health for example, they provide a vast amount of services that range from primary care, emergency care, urgent care, rehabilitation, cancer treatment, children’s care, medical imaging, and more (John Muir Health, 2013). Of these areas of service require risk and quality management assessment. Other areas that do not

Healthcare risk management ( HRM) began in The late 1970s, when hospitals are facing a malpractice crisis (Kavaler & Alexander, 2014). According to Kavaler and Alexander (2014), it is estimated more than 140,000 Americans die from medical errors and the cost ranges between $17 billion and $29 billion each year in the United States (Kavaler & Alexander, 2014). In this essay, the student will explain a healthcare risk management program, evaluate the program for compliance with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM), and Examine the administrative process of management the risk program.

The purpose of this paper is to identify a quality safety issue. I will summarize the impact that this issue has on health care delivery. In addition, I will identify quality improvement strategies. Finally, I will share a plan to effectively implement this quality improvement strategy.

According to Freeney & Murphy ( 2013) risk management is a process of risk identification, response development, risk evaluation, continuous observing and appraisal in order to reduce the risk of injury to patients, staff and visitors. Risk has been defined as “the chance of something happening that will have an impact on the achievement of organisational stated objectives,” HSE (2008) or “the effect of uncertainty on the objectives” ISO 31000 : 2009.

Risk management is the term applied to a logical and systematic method of establishing the context, identifying, analyzing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and communicating risks associated with any activity, function or process in a way that will enable organizations to minimize losses and maximize opportunities. (Lecture notes)Risk Management is also described as 'all the things you need to do to make the future sufficiently certain'. (The NZ Society for Risk Management, 2001)

One well accepted description of risk management is the following: risk management is a systematic approach to setting the best course of action under uncertainty by identifying, assessing, understanding, acting on and communicating risk issues. In order to apply risk management effectively, it is vital that a risk management culture be developed. The risk management culture supports the overall vision, mission and objectives of an organization. Limits and boundaries are established and communicated concerning what are acceptable risk practices and outcomes. Since risk management is directed at uncertainty related to future events and outcomes, it is