What is Health Care Risk Management Week?

There’s no understating the important role that health care risk professionals play in protecting health care facilities and operations from potential risks. They are responsible for identifying, evaluating, and managing the risks that can affect patient safety, quality of care, financial stability, and legal compliance. They also provide guidance on best practices to reduce the likelihood of such risks occurring.

By doing so, they help ensure that health care facilities and operations like Brickyard Healthcare can deliver quality services without compromising patient safety or financial stability. In addition, they help health care organizations develop strategies for reducing their exposure to risk and developing effective policies and procedures to prevent future losses.

Given how integral health care risk professionals are to our industry, we find it vital to acknowledge their contributions during Health Care Risk Management Week. Held this year between June 19 and 23, 2023, Health Care Risk Management Week (HRMW) is the American Society for Health Care Risk Management’s annual campaign to raise awareness about the critical role risk management and patient safety professionals play in helping to eliminate preventable serious safety events.

This year’s theme “Enhancing Skills, Elevating the Profession” speaks to the specialized skill set of health care risk professionals and the measurable impact their expertise has on protecting organizations.

Health Care Risk Management Week Highlights the Importance of Today’s Health Care Risk Managers

While health care risk management (HRM) professionals have traditionally focused on reducing medical errors and increasing patient safety, new technologies and regulations have increased their scope of practice. Today’s HRMs also look at reducing financial risk while keeping clinical quality high and helping to move health care organizations toward a business model that is more focused on outcomes and values.

The Functions of a Health Care Risk Manager

A health care risk manager serves many essential functions in today’s health care environments. For example, risk managers help health care organizations navigate regulatory and business matters including risk financing and clinical issues. They also examine the human and psychological factors in health care, so they typically have strong communication skills to help them navigate complex and sometimes volatile situations that arise.

Certified health care risk management professionals possess a bachelor’s degree plus an additional five years’ experience working in a health care setting, an associate’s degree and seven years’ experience, or a high school degree and at least nine years of health care experience. In addition, they must demonstrate 3,000 hours of work experience dedicated to HRM with a service provider or in a health care setting, as well as study and pass a comprehensive examination.

With these qualifications, HRMs are uniquely equipped to understand risk across organizational units and help build processes that enhance clinical and patient safety. They support proper resource allocation to optimize patient outcomes and analyze data to ensure proper decision-making at all levels throughout the organization.

How Health Care Risk Managers Contribute to Brickyard Patients’ Safety

Health care risk managers play an important role in ensuring patient safety at our care centers. They use a variety of strategies to identify, assess, and manage risks including identifying potential risks, developing policies and procedures to reduce those risks, and conducting regular audits to monitor compliance with those policies and procedures. By doing so, health care risk managers can reduce the likelihood of medical errors occurring in a health care setting. Additionally, they can help ensure that our patients receive the highest quality of care possible by monitoring for any changes in their condition or environment that could lead to harm or injury.

How to Learn More About Health Care Risk Management

Learning more about health care risk management can help you better understand the potential risks associated with health care delivery and how to mitigate them. With the right information, they can help health professionals develop strategies to reduce errors, improve outcomes, and ensure patient safety. For patients, understanding the role of HRMs and knowing that your health care provider is using their expertise can give you a higher level of confidence that you will receive the best care possible. To learn more about Health Care Risk Management Week and health care risk management in general, visit the American Society for Health Care Risk Management.

Brickyard Healthcare: Your Source for Optimal Inpatient and Outpatient Care

Health care risk management professionals are an important asset for any health care provider or organization that is focused on providing top level care to its patients. HRM staff members are deeply involved in every aspect of the business—from regulatory and compliance issues to clinical workflows and patient concerns. Through their oversight, they can increase patient safety and satisfaction and provide strategic ways for health care providers to improve outcomes across the board.

At Brickyard Healthcare, we take health care risk management seriously because our goal is to provide the highest level of care to our patients and residents—and provide peace of mind to their family members. If you or a loved one requires skilled nursing care, you should reach out to care facilities to explore their health care risk management programs. If you want to learn more about Brickyard’s patient programs or health care risk management, please call us at 855-855-8113 or contact us here.