| Risk management in hospitals now has to include | | | | There are a growing number of Americans |
| what insurers refer to as preventable conditions | | | | suffering from these chronic conditions, which |
| such as bedsores and since October 2008 have | | | | often start because people eat too much, don't |
| refused to reimburse hospitals for the treatment | | | | eat a proper diet and don't exercise. |
| of this ailment. | | | | Unless healthcare providers can help patients |
| The number of patients suffering from bedsores | | | | manage their habits to the extent where the |
| has increased dramatically in recent years focus | | | | condition can be controlled then they are engaging |
| on treating bed sores and ulcers rather than | | | | in good risk management. Those hospitals that |
| preventing them. This is a problematic situation | | | | treat more than their fair share of chronic cases |
| because doctors are concerned with alleviating the | | | | need to find some way to get their patients to |
| pain and avoiding secondary infections, rather than | | | | take preventative measures. |
| preventing these things from happening. | | | | Because hospitals are large institutions, and like |
| One of the best ways to avoid things like this | | | | many institutions make a lot of mistakes, most of |
| from occurring is to model the actions of other | | | | them have their own risk analysis department. |
| hospitals faced with solving the same problems, | | | | These mistakes can result in expensive court |
| this is one form of effective risk management. | | | | cases as well as patient injury and/or death. As |
| Hospitals have similar problems to other | | | | soon as the hospital authorities realise that a |
| healthcare providers only here the problems are | | | | mistake has been made they will flag your patient |
| writ large. One of the things that hospital doctors | | | | file because of a possible legal case. |
| have to look out for is an increasing rate of | | | | Risk management can be more difficult in hospitals |
| hospital caught infections. Infection is often the | | | | because of the number of procedures |
| result of medical intervention such as surgery | | | | undertaken. Decisions are not always taken by |
| A hospital has many of the billing and patient | | | | doctors but by whoever is managing the hospital |
| privacy problems that doctors and other | | | | and its finances. |
| healthcare professionals have to deal with. Some | | | | Hospitals have lots of visitors and this makes |
| hospitals may deal with a number of people ho | | | | managing risk to the patients a lot more difficult |
| have chronic conditions, some of these can be | | | | because staff may not know who is going or |
| alleviated by diet and lifestyle advice, particularly in | | | | coming at any given time. |
| conditions like diabetes and heart disease. | | | | |