Risk management is an indispensable part of management in the healthcare environment. It came to the fore in the 1970s. At that period, numerous healthcare facilities of the United States lost cases in the court. The decisions made established “corporate liability of the hospital for quality of care and holding medical staff liable for quality of care” (Singh & Ghatala, 2012, p. 417). Apparently, contemporary healthcare units in many countries of the world pay significant attention to risk management. It is necessary to add that there is extensive research on the matter, and various strategies have been developed to diminish risks in the healthcare environment.
One of the central aspects of risk management planning is research and reporting. De Simone and Esposito (2014) note that reporting about various incidents is a necessary step to the development of an efficient risk management plan. Thus, healthcare professionals are encouraged to report about their or their colleagues’ errors or risky situations that occur. There are certain forms to be filled in. Remarkably, healthcare professionals are encouraged to report through various benefits. The cases reported are later analyzed, and a particular strategy to respond to a situation is developed. Lately, however, prevention is regarded as the primary concern in risk management (De Simone and Esposito, 2014). Hence, analysis of reports often results in the development of methods to prevent various risks.
Risk management planning often involves three major steps: risk identification, risk assessment, and risk management (De Simone and Esposito, 2014). Apparently, the process of risk identification significantly benefits from reporting. However, there are different ways to identify risks. Research is one of the principal ways to identify risks. Analysis of data obtained through surveys and interviews enable researchers to come up with various risks that healthcare professionals face in the healthcare environment.
The next stage, risk assessment, involves several steps. These are assigning values to risk, anticipating losses, developing objectives as well as methods to minimize risks (Singh & Ghatala, 2012). This is one of the most detailed and complex parts of planning. It has been acknowledged that a particular committee should work on these methods and norms. Members of these committee should be chosen carefully and should include representatives of departments involved in the risky situation analyzed. The next stage of risk management planning is evaluation and correction (if necessary). It is important to make sure that the norms developed are efficient. Reporting is, again, adequate as developers of the strategy can obtain the information from people who use the method developed.
Finally, the planning process should also involve precise attention to the implementation of the strategies developed. Thus, it is important to understand how exactly healthcare professionals will use the methods. It can be a good idea to include some benefits or rewards for those who are most successful in the implementation of norms created.
On balance, it is possible to state that risk management planning is a complex process that includes three major steps: risk identification, risk assessment, and risk management. It is also noteworthy that contemporary US healthcare facilities are characterized by the implementation of effective risk management practices. This leads to the improvement of the quality of services provided, and it eventually results in various benefits for all stakeholders involved. Patients receive better services, healthcare units become more efficient and gain more profit, the state obtains an effective healthcare system and reduced budget expenditure.
Reference List
De Simone, S., & Esposito, A. (2014). The risk management in Italian healthcare organizations: Threats become opportunities. American International Journal of Social Science, 3(3), 178-182. Web.
Singh, B., & Ghatala, M.H. (2012). Risk management in hospitals. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, 3(4), 417-421. Web.