Risk assessments: Data helps you make better decisions!
This one’s going to be a fairly brief offering, but one of my favorite topics—the importance of risk assessments.
As we’ve revisited the risk assessment landscape over the years, the one defining characteristic that deserves the widest possible hegemony is the use of data when formalizing any risk assessments. The more real-world data that you can introduce into the risk assessment discussion, the greater the likelihood of choosing a direction/strategy, etc. that will not only be effective in the now, but sustainable over time. As we’ve also noted in this space (and no doubt mentioned by others), the regulatory accreditation survey process is going to be increasingly attentive to sustainable corrective actions. As I often tell folks when looking at process vulnerabilities: it is the easiest thing in the world to fix something, but it can be the hardest thing to keep it fixed.
To that end, I hope you can spare about 40 minutes to listen to the Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare podcast that discusses the use of data in the risk assessment process. The podcast features Ken Rohde, a quality and performance improvement consultant (full disclosure – I’ve worked with Ken in a number of settings—he’s a valued and respected colleague). The podcast provides a useful examination of data sources, how to use the data to communicate to organizational leadership, and how to use data to drive the risk management process. Ken’s explanations are very down to earth and do a really good job of presenting complex concepts in an easy-to-understand fashion. Again, I’m definitely a Ken Rohde—and I think you might be as well.
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Chartis Group. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is an advisory board member for Accreditation and Quality Compliance Center. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.