Risk Management in the Health Sector

Risk management can be defined as the identification of hazards that are likely to occur in an organization and after that, propose effective measures of countering them. In the health sector, the essence of risk management cannot be underestimated as it plays a critical role in the promotion of the patients’ safety as well as the development of a good health care culture. Therefore, health management executives need to formulate adequate policies that are aimed at empowering the medical officers, which would ultimately lead to the provision of high-quality services. As illustrated in this paper, some of the elements that should be factored in while designing a risk management program include the evaluation and identification of perils. The joint commission plays a crucial role in the management of risks in the health sector by conducting surveys within the medical facilities and proposing effective ways of countering the noted hazards.

Elements of Risk Management Program Analysis

A risk analysis program is crucial as it gives an organization insight on the key strategies it can put in place to enhance its overall welfare. One of the main elements that should be put into perspective is the identification of the hazard (Wissem, 2013). It is paramount for an institution to be in a position of identifying the threats that have a high probability of occurrence. The next factor to be put into perspective is figuring out the root of the peril. If an entity is capable of determining the main cause of the threats, then it would be relatively easier for it to design effective policies of solving the problem (Berg, 2010). Additionally, the measurement of risk should be considered since in most cases; it would be relatively easier to manage a hazard that one can easily quantify. Evaluation of the risk is the other factor that should be considered as a technique of determining how the noted menace should be addressed.  

Role of the Joint Commission in the Evaluation of the Organization’s Quality Management Processes

The joint commission is mandated to accredit the organizations by assisting them to note some of the risks that are likely to befall the customers. As a way of guaranteeing that the Joint Commission comes up with reasonable information about how prone a respective medical institution is to hazards, it carries out surveys on the medical facilities (Alkhenizan & Shaw, 2011).  Usually, the surveys are done on a random basis and without raising any prior awareness about the same to the respective medical institutions. However, it is worth noting that the main essence of the surveys is to give insight to the medical facilities on the measures they can adopt to enhance their welfare. The commission reviews all the information provided by the health centers, interviews the staffs to determine how they discharge their duties and even interacts with the clients to affirm whether the insight provided by the medical personnel is true. After conducting the quality checks, the Joint Commission also gives out comprehensive guidelines on the quality of health services and proposes any effective ideas on how it can be improved.  

Additionally, the joint commission offers educational services to all the health facilities within the society. By doing so, it makes the medical officers aware of any advanced means of providing medical services whose quality is above par. In most cases, the organized educational forums comprise innovative solutions whose main objective is to boost the welfare of the community members.

Role Of Different Levels Of Administrative Personnel Play In Establishing Operational Policies That Are Focused On Employer-Employee Organizational Risk Management Policies

Risk management is an obligation of every employee within a respective entity. Therefore, all the workers – irrespective of their positions – are mandated to work hand in hand to ensure that the chances of a hazard taking place are as minimal as possible. One of the critical factors that can lead to the achievement of the desirable objectives within the health sector is the development of partnerships among the management and the employees. The development of an effective working environment among these stakeholders enables them to work in a coordinated manner towards the minimization of the chances that would lead to the emergence of a peril. To start with, the risk managers are obligated to research on the most likely causes of perils in the institution and propose adequate techniques of mitigating them (the identified hazards) as well. Besides, whenever a hazard occurs, the risk managers analyze the events that led to its emergence to make sure adequate measures are put in place to prevent a future occurrence of the same. Secondly, the quality managers are also obligated to formulate quality improvement measures. Nevertheless, unlike the risk managers, the quality executives do not factor in litigation concerns rather, they are more committed to coming up with overall solutions that boost the healthcare standards.

The Relationship Of Risk Management Programs And Compliance With Ethical Standards

Ethics may be defined as a set of moral principles that guide one’s countenance while engaging in a respective activity. The main essence of ethics is to make sure that the customers’ interests are always put first, which makes an institution earn a good reputation within a locality (Jondle, Maines, Burke & Young, 2013). Risk management, therefore, emphasizes the need for the adoption of ethics in an organization’s governance. The main correlation between management programs and compliance with ethical standards is that both are geared towards enhancing efficiency within a firm with the main aim of maintaining close monitoring of all the activities carried out. Failure to comply with some of the laid down ethical standards can also have far-reaching consequences on a medical center as it poses the risk of non-compliance. Just like any other form of hazard, this type of risk can lead to the unintended outcomes, which may eventually ruin a health center’s reputation.

                                                      Conclusion

In a nutshell, risk management programs are aimed at minimizing the probability of a peril occurring within the medical institutions. The joint commission board conducts surveys now and then to determine the level of the health centers preparedness in handling risks as well as proposing the most effective policies of risk mitigation. While coming up with a risk management program, an organization must put into perspective some critical elements like identification and the evaluation of the hazard. Since all employees must ensure that the probability of a peril taking place is significantly reduced, medical executives should work hand in hand with their subordinates while formulating the risk management programs. Additionally, the medical practitioners are required to maintain a high level of ethical standards as a way of making sure that all the loopholes that may lead to the emergence of a hazard are completely sealed.

                                                      References

Alkhenizan, A., & Shaw, C. (2011). Impact of accreditation on the quality of healthcare services: A systematic review of the literature. Annals of Saudi Medicine, 31(4): pp. 407-416.

Berg, H. (2010). Risk management: Procedures, methods and experiences. Reliability: Theory & Applications, 1: pp. 79-95.

Jondle, D., Maines, T.D., Burke, M.R., & Young, P.C. (2013). Modern risk management through the lens of ethical organizational culture. Center for Ethical Business cultures papers and Reports.

Wissem, E. (2013). Risk management: New literature review. Polish Journal of Management Studies, 8: pp. 288-297.