The main purpose of an ASC risk management program is to maintain an optimal level of performance in the delivery of patient services within the ASC by means of monitoring ongoing programs of the comprehensive quality of care provided.
All aspects of patient care services provided need to be constantly monitored, tracked, analyzed and improved as needed. BY focusing your efforts on these five steps you will be able to develop a comprehensive risk management program for your ASC.
1. Compliance
Risk management programs need to comply with state regulations and accreditation standards for ambulatory surgery centers. One should target areas for the greatest impact on quality care, patient safety, and expense reduction. Adverse & reportable events, discharge planning, transfers, emergency response, incidents and complaints/grievances should all be evaluated. Know your regulations. Obtain a copy of the interpretive guidelines from your regulatory associations.
2. Identification of weaknesses before an event occurs
Spend some time walking through your facility from front to back door. This will give you the unique patient perspective and may highlight immediate areas of weakness. When all this information is gathered, it serves as the basis for the evaluation of the quality of care, identification of problems related to patient care and assessment of actions to be taken to assure and improve the quality of care.
3. Mitigation or reduction of potential loss after an event has occurred
As soon as an event occurs conduct a root cause analysis. Immediate gather all your troops and correct any contributing factor of the event/loss. The results of these improvements provide direction for efforts to assure the quality of care through a variety of methods. These include continuing education, review of staff privileges, revision of policies and procedures, and physical facility modifications.
4. Provide a framework to gather data that can be used to improve outcomes and create goals
Your goal should always be 100% patient safety. You want your patients and staff to be 100% free from accidental injury. You also want to be able to establish a system and process to minimize any likelihood of errors and to maximize the likelihood of intercepting them should they occur. Try to involve all of your staff in gathering information on "near miss" incidents. Discuss these "near misses" at your staff meetings. Applaud the staff for coming forward and participating in a culture of safety.
5. Reduce number, type and severity of adverse events
Preventing and avoiding errors, deviations, and accidents is of utmost importance. Reduce the probability of adverse events resulting from exposure to the health care system. Maintaining acceptable standards of care and preventing injury/loss will help keep your ASC providing high quality care.