Programs for risk management for health care organizations

Research risk management programs for health care facilities or organizations · Introduction Healthcare risk management entails the administrative and clinical processes, systems and reports applied for the purpose of detecting, assessing, monitoring, preventing, and mitigating risk (NEJEM Catalyst, 2018). Through the implementation of risk management programs healthcare institutions can systematically and proactively protect the patient and hospital assets, accreditation, market share, brand value, reimbursement levels and the community standards. A risk management plan can be understood as a fundamental tool for implementation of the risk management program.

The plan provides structures and guidance for the business and clinical services that make it possible to deliver quality care to the patients and foster safe hospital environment (The University of Scranton, 2018). · Description of the Incident Risk management plan Any risk management plan must be focused on provision of comprehensive, systematic and ongoing strategies for the alleviation of risk exposure. Some of the activities in risk management entail analysis, investigation, evaluation and identification of risk.

This is followed by selection of implementation of the best fitting approach for the reduction, correction, management, elimination and transference of the risk (HPSO, 2018). In incident management the reporting of events is aimed at providing a systematic and organizational program for the reporting of risk exposure in order to recognize future liability.

The system of event reporting in risk management is used for the purpose of identification, reporting, tracking, and identification of trends in events that have the possibility of causing undesirable patient outcomes or injuries to property, and people in the healthcare institution. Incident reporting is a risk management plan designed to alleviate preventable damages to property and injuries as well as minimize the severity of financial claims.

The role of the risk manager in incident reporting is to track and trend the events data so as to report the findings to the performance or quality enhancement department and other departments that deal with follow up measures. Sentinel events have to be reported to relevant government agencies through clearly defined methods. It is the duty of a risk manager to report the sentinel events. It is critical to comply with the established guidelines and deadlines on incident reporting.

· Recommended administrative steps and processes in a typical health care organization risk management program contrasted with the administrative steps and processes in the selected Incident management Plan A typical management plan for incident reporting in any organization entails a document that aids in the organization to restore normalcy quickly after unexpected events occur. The incident management plan is useful in identification of weaknesses in the organizations.

Through the incident management plan it is possible to mitigate the consequences of various events and alleviate any damages to the organization’s operations, finances and reputation.

There are several recommended administrative components in incident management and they include tacking and trending events data, reporting the findings to the performance or quality departments and other follow up departments, coming up with a clearly defined, well-structured strategy for every response, continual training of the incident management teams in order to equip everyone with adequate response skills for every likely incident, reporting on the incident reporting plan, occasional updating of the plan to rectify any errors and reverse any weaknesses in the existing plan (TechTarget, 2018a).

In typical healthcare institutions incidents are categorized based on their severity, cause and the people or property affected (TechTarget, 2018a). In contrast the selected incident risk management plan is focused on tracking and trending events data and reporting the incidents to the relevant quality improvement departments. Typically the process is wholesome detailing the entire process all the way to planning of responses, training or risk managers, and updating of the incident reporting plan.

· Key agencies and organizations that regulate the administration of safe health care and the roles each play in the risk management oversight process OCR (Office for Civil Rights) is within the HHS (Health and Human Services) department and is responsible for the enforcement of security rules and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). OCR is actively involved in the investigation of privacy violations as well as the enforcement of noncompliance penalties (TechTarget, 2018b).

CMS (Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) is also under the HHS and is responsible for health insurance programs for children, Medicare and Medicaid administration. CMS supervises most regulations relating to systems in healthcare and provides subsidized government medical covers through programs such as Medicaid (For the low income families and individuals), Medicare (for disabled and elderly), and insurance programs for children under the age of 19. CMS also ensures that the HIPAA is complied with.

HIPAA helps reduce healthcare costs and protects the patients while at the same time championing for better care. HIPAA was established to enhance effectiveness and efficiency of healthcare systems (TechTarget, 2018b). AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) is also under HHS. AHRQ carries out research for the purpose of improving healthcare quality, reduce health costs and address medical errors and patient safety concerns (TechTarget, 2018b).

ONC (Office of National Coordinator) is responsible for directing national efforts for the implementation and application of advanced IT in healthcare and exchange of health information (TechTarget, 2018b). FDA (Food and Drug Administration) regulates medical devices and equipment effectiveness and safety. It entails the approval of medical devices prior to them getting into the market and defining the standards for manufacture and performance as well as tracking any malfunctions on devices and any detrimental adverse reactions (TechTarget, 2018b).

Incident Risk Management Plan compliance with the American Society of Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) standards relevant to privacy, health care worker safety, and patient safety. ASHRM was established for the promotion of innovative and effective strategies in risk management and for professional leadership achieved through recognition, education, publications, advocacy, interactions, and networking with leading government agencies and healthcare institutions (ASHRM, n.d.). ASHRM just as the incident risk management plan is focused on the implementation and development.