The Importance of Risk Management in Healthcare

August 30, 2021

As risk management practices and the regulatory landscape continue to shift, risk management in the healthcare industry plays an increasingly crucial role.

Healthcare risk managers focus on identifying and preventing risk to patients, employees and visitors, with unique responsibilities:

  • Protecting patient interests and sensitive information
  • Minimizing safety events and supporting incident management
  • Reporting and analyzing risk data for the organization
  • Maintaining the facility’s public image and financial status
  • Balancing the delivery of quality care with controlling costs

To ensure these areas of focus are effectively managed, it’s imperative for risk managers to proactively assess and problem-solve to help mitigate the top risks related to healthcare:

  • Clinical. Medication errors, facility-acquired conditions (a condition that happens to the patient during their stay at the facility) and serious safety events.
  • Equipment. Computer hardware and software, medical devices and tools, data risk management information systems, electronic health records (EHR) and cyber liability.
  • Financial. Costs associated with financial interruptions such as malpractice, litigation, credit and interest rate fluctuations, corporate fraud, accounts receivable, billing and collection.
  • Human Capital. Recruitment, retention and termination of members of the healthcare staff.
  • Legal/Regulatory. Regulatory and statutory mandates on a local, state and federal level.
  • Hazards. Physical assets and their insurable value; risks related to natural exposures such as fire, flood, tornados as well as business interruption (loss of, or damage to, property).

Supporting Healthcare Policyholders
Amerisure’s Risk Management Consultants have a deep understanding of loss prevention as it applies to the healthcare industry and can provide customized risk management solutions. We use a partner-driven approach to help reduce claims and risk while helping our policyholders create a strong safety culture for healthcare professionals.

For more information, please contact your agency or local Amerisure Risk Management Consultant at (800) 257-1900 or [email protected].

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