Risk Management in a Healthcare Facility

Risk management involves five basic steps which include; ascertaining the risk, scrutinizing, evaluating, treating and managing the risks. The first step which is identifying the risk categorically deals with recognizing and highlighting potential risks in a project. The primary priority of any healthcare facility is efficient patient care except consequence of finance. Most of the patient risks are usually reduced by providing accurate and appropriate counseling services nurses and physicians. In addition, training of staff, physicians and competency assessments conduction. Besides, the certification and accreditation of health care facilities is considered as a symbol of quality since it reflects the commitment of organization to meeting particular standards of performance. Thus, it is a requirement for health facilities to demonstrate compliance standards and with a continuous compliance track record.

Moreover, the Joint Commission develops standards, evaluate the organizations against the standards and provide accreditation decision-making. In addition, the current accreditation of Joint Commission is focused on areas such as infection control, medication management, and preparedness of emergency and improvement purposes for data usage. (O’Leary, n. It is important to note that Joint Commission measures are evidence based and are according to accreditation standards. Moreover, according to O’Leary ( n. d. ), performance measurement is carried out through expert panel analysis that measure set identification, field testing for validity and reliability and also external validation. Furthermore, Joint Commission is responsible for information dissemination. First, the top level of management provides direction and guidelines which facilitates the adherence with appropriate and recognized professional practices.

Besides, the top administrative level is responsible towards the performance of the health care organization’s shareholders thereby reducing the variation of practice for both employers and employees of the facility. Besides, the top level administrative management coordinates and controls all the risk management policies hence promoting regulations compliance, accreditation requirements and statutes such as of Joint Commission, CMS Conditions of Participation, EMTALA and HIPAA among others ((PSQH, 2014). Furthermore, the middle level administrative management personnel interpret and explain from the top management level to other lower employees. Besides, the personnel participant in training of the employees to ensure that they are well equipped with risk management policies thereby reducing over reliance on memory is a major source of oversights or human errors in employees.

(Carton, 2011) Besides, health care organizations implement leading and substantial values and practices which enable their risk management programs and compliance to be more effective. Furthermore, setting organization values and professional standards promote integrity for employees of the organizations, the organization itself and stakeholders of the facility. Moreover, according to Carton (2011), ethics and compliance fits into health organization through acting as a defense mechanism especially in risk management such as operational risk, credit and regulatory. Thus, it requires major support functions like risk management or ethics and compliance for effectiveness. References Carton, B. aspx Lori, A. , Christine, G & Robert, E. Latent Risk Assessment Tool for Healthcare Leaders. Journal of Healthcare Risk Management. O’Leary, D. Retrieved from https://www. psqh. com/analysis/policies-and-procedures-for-healthcare-organizations-a-risk-management-perspective/.