'Ounce of prevention' can help avoid suits
'Ounce of prevention' can help avoid suits
Risk assessment might be a critical strategy to use in your effort to minimize lawsuits, but it shouldn't be the first, says Tom Syzek, MD, FACEP, director of risk management for Dayton, OH-based Premier Health Care Services.
"It takes a systemwide approach for doctors, groups, and their EDs," Syzek says. "It starts with good, qualified practitioners; so on the hiring and credentialing side, you really want to review practitioners' qualifications and backgrounds and any history of complaints or litigations they may have."
Second, he says, each group and department needs to develop its own culture about how it is going to handle risk. "You need to identify champions or name a director of risk management to serve in that capacity as a leader," Syzek says. "Risk management, or the prevention of litigation, does not just happen. It takes effort.
Once qualified staff members have been hired, he says, you should include key risk management concepts in the orientation process for practitioners. "You should have an orientation manual that includes operational and risk-related items, and all practitioners should be familiar with it," says Syzek. If your ED has a physician group, their orientation also should include a brief overview of the risk management culture, he adds.
From that point on, Syzek says, an ongoing program for nurses and doctors should include education in the form of newsletters, bulletins, online courses, and paycheck stuffers. Topics include: Potentially disastrous drug interactions exceptional customer service, guidelines for dealing with confidential information, documentation, and risk-laden conditions and chief complaints. [A copy of Syzek's risk alerts on patient turnover, patients who leave against medical advice, and chest pain are available.]
The Sullivan Group (www.thesullivangroup.com) also is a good source of ongoing education.
"Some groups even have their own educational divisions where CME is provided for doctors," Syzek says. "It's optimal if department nurses and doctors can go through their own versions of the same topics." (Editor's note: AHC Media, publisher of ED Management, offers 110 online CME courses and 40 CNE courses related to emergency and trauma medicine. For more information, go to www.reliasmedia.com. On the left side of the page, select "Online CME.")
Risk assessment might be a critical strategy to use in your effort to minimize lawsuits, but it shouldn't be the first, says Tom Syzek, MD, FACEP, director of risk management for Dayton, OH-based Premier Health Care Services.Subscribe Now for Access
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