Patient safety remains a challenge for organizations, and not for want of trying to address the problem. Improving it is an issue addressed here and at the 2023 HCCA Compliance Institute by Deb McCracken, Chief Risk Officer, and Julie Wall, Senior Vice President, Benefis Health System.

Problems such as fall prevention remain, along with improper medication administration, misidentifying patients and preventing infections. They persist because, as healthcare and technology change, procedures may as well, See more +

Patient safety remains a challenge for organizations, and not for want of trying to address the problem. Improving it is an issue addressed here and at the 2023 HCCA Compliance Institute by Deb McCracken, Chief Risk Officer, and Julie Wall, Senior Vice President, Benefis Health System.

Problems such as fall prevention remain, along with improper medication administration, misidentifying patients and preventing infections. They persist because, as healthcare and technology change, procedures may as well, leading to a departure from safe behavior.

Adding to the challenge, often, is an unwillingness to speak up and raise issues. Many fear that they will be retaliated against if they point out potential problems.

To better understand patient safety risk they recommend a close working relationship among compliance, quality and risk management. These three departments should help form a committee focused on patient safety that includes individuals skilled in capturing and coding root cause analyses.

To close safety gaps effectively, they recommend looking to best practices and implementing them. Also use lessons learned from your organization and others across the industry. That begins with debriefing after an incident.

They also recommend running simulations of real-life situations. These can help you be better prepared when an incident occurs. When you do, don’t forget about practicing for workplace violence scenarios.

Listen in to learn more about how you can promote better patient safety practices. And, to learn even more, join us in Anaheim for the 2023 Compliance Institute. See less -