Legal Aspects of Health Administration: Risk Management and Liability

Legal Aspects of Health Administration: Risk Management and Liability

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Legal Aspects of Health Administration: Risk Management and Liability

Question One

The two videos were both used by the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) during their 2012 Annual Conference and Exposition. The central idea in the video, ‘Welcome to ASHRM 2012: Getting to Zero through the Power of One,’ is that all healthcare workers have to be involved in enhancing the safety of patients and eliminating preventable, serious safety events. Conversely, the video, ‘Keeping Our Kids Safe: Children’s National Medical Center,’ points out the need for pediatric healthcare workers to hold each other accountable in order to ensure the safety of children.

Question Two

‘Welcome to ASHRM 2012: Getting to Zero through the Power of One’ video targets everyone who is involved in the provision of healthcare services. They include healthcare leaders, doctors, and nurses. ‘Keeping Our Kids Safe: Children’s National Medical Center’ video is targeting pediatric healthcare service providers and the general public

Question Three

Both videos can be used to increase safety and risk management efforts in healthcare organizations. They have both explained the need for all employees to be involved in ensuring the safety of patients. The videos have also pointed out that the only way to ensure the success of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) is by making it the institution’s top priority.

Question Four

The video ‘Welcome to ASHRM 2012: Getting to Zero through the Power of One,’ explains the need for healthcare leaders to make patient safety the institution’s top priority, by setting an example and empowering their employees. Brannan and Taylor (2006) support that healthcare leaders should make risk management a priority by moving from the traditional risk silo approaches to the modern ERM. Healthcare leaders should take the lead in ERM by participating in programs backing risk management initiatives and joining professional associations and organizations (Hall, 2010). The video also points out that workers should adhere to healthcare policies and procedures designed to improve patients’ safety and eliminate harm. To achieve this goal, healthcare workers should have the courage to report malpractices that might harm the patients. According to Shannon (2010), hospitals are continuing to face law suits for medical malpractices. Healthcare workers are being charged for withholding information regarding the health status of their patients. This video stresses the need for healthcare service providers to involve their patients in care and treatment decisions. It points out that information disclosure and continuous communication is an ethical and legal duty for all healthcare workers.

The video ‘Keeping Our Kids Safe: Children’s National Medical Center,’ stresses the importance of holding health workers accountable for their actions. According to University of Regina (2006), an effective risk management framework should make ERM a responsibility of all employees. The video expresses the necessity for everybody to report any malpractices by pediatricians that might cause harm to children. Ehrhart and Heembrock (2012) argue that top managers should consider advices and inputs offered by subordinate employees. Healthcare leaders should identify mitigation measures to be used in reducing or eliminating the risks identified by its employees.

Question Five

The video ‘Welcome to ASHRM 2012: Getting to Zero through the Power of One,’ is more substantive since it addresses the need for all health workers to help in completely eliminating preventable serious safety events. The video not only targets pediatrician, but all leaders, doctors and nurses involved in healthcare provision. Furthermore, it stresses the need for all stakeholders to contribute towards enhancing safety of patients.

Reference:

“Keeping Our Kids Safe” Children’s National Medical Center. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMWJvA6xEdA

Brannan, W. L., & Taylor, J. R. (2006). A Model for Enterprise Risk Management Within a Healthcare Organization. Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, 527. Retrieved from http://www.asse.org/practicespecialties/riskmanagement/docs/Brannan%20&%20Taylor%20Article.pdf

Ehrhart, T., & Heembrock, M. (2012). Great Policies to Avoid Very Bad Trouble. CHUBB. Retrieved from http://www.chubb.com/journalists/chubb15926.pdf

Hall, S. (2010). The Role of Risk Management in Healthcare Operations.  Retrieved from http://www.psfinc.com/press/the-role-of-risk-management-in-healthcare-operations

Shannon, L. (2010). The Purpose and Goals of Risk Management. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/Msfent1/the-purpose-and-goals-of-risk-management-4159859

University of Regina. (2006). Enterprise Risk Management Framework. Retrieved from http://www.uregina.ca/presoff/vpadmin/policymanual/general/ERM%20Framework.pdf

Welcome to ASHRM 2012:  Getting to Zero Through the Power of One. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvVCu7kSaao