An Introduction To Healthcare Risk Management

Risk Management takes many forms. Financial risk management, for example, is an exercise in research and computation. Financial risk management can be done without ever leaving the confines of an office. Workplace risk management, on the other hand, involves real world activities as varied as design, construction, workplace practices and training. In healthcare risk management, there was a time when healthcare risk management referred to the care and education of the patient. The healthcare professional advised the patient on medicine, diet, nutrition, exercise, cleanliness and other issues so that the patient was empowered to take personal steps that reduced the patient's risk of injury and illness and increased the patient's chances of healing and recovery.

Today, sadly, healthcare risk management refers to the steps the medical profession must take to reduce the chance of litigation. Courses in healthcare risk management are now offered at the state level in many jurisdictions for health care professionals who want to stay eligible for promotion as risk (i.e., liability) management becomes increasingly integrated into the expected skill set of healthcare administrators.

Because the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not offer a type of universal healthcare to citizens, risk management in healthcare must encompass different criteria than else where. In the United States, the purposes of introductory courses in healthcare risk management are several.

Typically, students are first introduced to the history and evolution of risk management as a discipline within business administration. This positions the student to view the subject matter as a central element in allowing the medical profession to function.

Other subjects studied include an introduction to health care regulations and standards, the legal constituents of negligence, liability and malpractice, insurance claims management, risk identification methods and, perhaps most importantly, risk exposures in healthcare institutions, including clinics, medical offices, off-site testing facilities, long term care as well as hospitals.