Risk_Management_Assessment_Summary

Risk Management Assessment Summary Within every type of health organization, whether it be in a hospital, nursing facility, drug manufacturer, emergency medical services, or a simple doctor office an office manager must have a plan on how he or she will decrease and evaluate risks to staff, patients, and organizational resources, this is best known as a risk management. A risk management must be in place In order for facilities to lower the rates of accidents, injuries and financial losses within their organization. Within every health organization a type of risk management is always in place, and one of many health organizations that are very important to have a risk management in place is that of a nursing home. A nursing home is for elderly people and even for young people that have mental or physical disabilities that need nursing care constantly. These patients do not need to be in a hospital but most likely need the help of a nurse more than twenty-four hours a day. Many patients that are placed in a nursing facility may easily get injured or even possibly forget what they are doing it is very important that risk management is strictly in place to prevent accidents, injuries, and even financial losses within the organization. According to the Magnolia Management Services, INC there are six important factors that the nursing facility should have for the organization itself and the employees. These six factors are: • Incident tracking, trending and OSHA logs- by keeping these logs it will know all management problems and incidents that have occurred throughout the nursing facility and will automatically be kept in records so that everything is being help in compliance within the OSHA regulations. • Certificate of insurance services- by keeping this type of information it will allow management to know exactly when insurance companies and patient’s need to be notified that their policies are either going to end or expire. • Custom online training- this will help insure that all employees keep up to date with certifications, trainings that are needed to be held within the facility • Material safety data sheet services-complying with all the OSHA regulations and standards on what materials can and can’t be used within the organization • Description and development suite- all jobs that are going to be held within the organization should have set rules, guidelines that should be developed • GAP analysis- this consists of areas in which the management team shall focus on areas in which they can and will positively impact the facilities safety and workers' compensation program, while they also gain efficiency and motivation towards the staff. Like any organization the nursing facility is prone to patients falling, getting lost, forgetfulness, amongst other problems. A very common problem that nursing facilities may encounter are falls, “multifactorial interventions reduce falls and risk of falling in hospitals and may do so in nursing care facilities” (Cameron, Ian D, Murray, Geoff R, Gillespie, Lesley D, Robertson, M Clare, Hill, Keith D, Cumming, Robert G, Kerse, Ngaire) [“Falls incidence in nursing care facilities are reported to be about three times that in the community, equating to rates of 1.5 falls per bed per year (Luukinen 1994; Rubenstein 1994) or 1.4 falls per person per year (Nurmi 2002). In hospital settings, the presence of newly acquired risk factors for falls (e.g. hip fracture, stroke) and unfamiliar surroundings may increase falls risk. In stroke rehabilitation wards, between 25% and 46% of patients have been reported to fall at least once during their admission (Dromerick 1994; Forster 1995). An incidence of 6.2 falls per person per year in psychogeriatric wards and 3.4 falls per person per year in geriatric rehabilitation wards have been reported (Nyberg 1997).” (Cameron, Ian D, Murray, Geoff R, Gillespie, Lesley D, Robertson, M Clare, Hill, Keith D, Cumming, Robert G, Kerse, Ngaire)] As seen falls are not only dangerous but can lead to death, it looks bad within a nursing facility for the fact patients may want to go to another facility where a great risk management is put into action. Another type of problem that can occur within a nursing facility is with patients that have Alzheimer’s disease. Since this disease affects brain cells and it slowly destroys thinking and memory skills these patients will slowly forget how to speak, control emotions, remember, and even simple decision making can be forgotten. Since people with this disease sooner or later encounter problems with not knowing when he or she goes to the restroom, if an outsider comes into the facility and sees a patient that has soiled him/herself they may report this as neglect, while it could have been that a nurse was gathering items needed. Another problem that can occur within the organization of a nursing facility is the safety of every patient. Nursing homes can sometimes take about one-hundred patients, one thing that is not prevented whether in a nursing facility or at one’s home is sickness. Sickness is something that is bound to happen at some point to everyone. Since patients that are in nursing homes are known to be most vulnerable to attract sickness that can be fatal. Health safety is something that can make a nursing facility either has a negative or positive look. Like any types of organization many different types of education, training, and policies are needed that would greatly help this organization mitigate these risks. The best education that a nursing facility may hold is having certified nurse’s working for them, having a management team that has all the basic information that is needed to stay on top of all HIPPA rules and regulations, all of OSHA rules and regulations. In order to achieve great quality changes and have a great risk management all employees should have the basic training regarding, “The 2008 Supplemental Compliance Program Guidance contains five major sections: 1. Overview of the Compliance Program Guidance Process 2. Overview of the Medicare/Medicaid Reimbursement System 3. Fraud and Abuse Risk Areas 4. Other Compliance Considerations -- Including the Importance of an Ethical Culture and Regular Review of Compliance Program Effectiveness 5. Self-Reporting Violations of Criminal, Civil or Administrative Law” (Wachler & Associates, P.C., 2011) Everyone that works in the nursing facility should have all the training that is required by the law, and should get all the basic education that is needed to know about the patients that they will encounter within their organization. As seen it is vital that Within every type of health organization, whether it be in a hospital, drug manufacturer, emergency medical services, or a nursing facility a manager must have a plan on how he or she will decrease and evaluate risks to staff, patients, and organizational resources, in other words have the best risk management plan for their organization. Having a risk management in place will help in many ways: lower the rates of accidents, injuries and financial losses within their organization. Reference Cameron, I. (2010). Interventions for preventing falls in older people in nursing care facilities and hospitals. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (2), Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Dicken, J. E. (2010). NURSING HOMES: Complexity of Private Investment Purchases Demonstrates Need for CMS to Improve the Usability and Completeness of Ownership Data. GAO Reports, 1. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Magnolia LTC Management Service, Inc., 2010, retrieved from the internet July 24, 2011 from: http://www.magnolialtc.com/contact.html Wachler & Associates, P.C., 2011, retrieved from the internet July 25, 2011, from the internet http://www.wachler.com/CM/Publications/Risk-Compliance.asp