PDF version |
Go to Forum Archives
Inside This Issue
CONFERENCE ATTENDEES 'CONNECT’ IN SAN DIEGO
The emphasis was on making connections at ASHRM’s 2006 Annual Conference, held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 in San Diego.
More than 1,800 registered attendees plus exhibitors, sponsors and guests (approximately 3,000 in total) took advantage of the healthcare risk management profession’s largest annual education and networking event.
ASHRM President Peggy Martin set the tone during the Annual Business Meeting on Oct. 30:
“When ASHRM was formed in 1980, it was for the purpose of discussing our common challenges in the emerging field of healthcare risk management. It was also about sharing solutions,” she said. “Today, our membership includes over 5,000 professionals in a variety of healthcare settings and businesses. Despite our growing numbers, we are connected through our commitment to making healthcare safer. We are also connected through the people we meet and get to know, personally and professionally, through ASHRM.”
Among the annual event’s highlights:
* Hundreds of attendees took advantage of pre-conference sessions of the new CPHRM Examination Preparation Course (complemented by the new CPHRM Exam Preparation Guide) as well as the Patient Safety Curriculum and Applications Module of the Barton Certificate in Healthcare Risk Management Program.
* Fifty-two concurrent education sessions were taught by a faculty of 102 healthcare experts.
* Two highly anticipated new resources were introduced: the three-volume Risk Management Handbook for Health Care Organizations (5th Edition) and the 2006 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis (in association with Aon).
* More than 150 companies showcased a wide variety of products and services in the San Diego Convention Center’s exhibition hall.
* Nearly 70 chapter presidents, presidents-elect and their designated representatives gathered for a chapter leadership event to share best practices for running a successful chapter and to network with other chapter leaders facing similar challenges. The revised online chapter handbook was introduced, also.
‘Celebrating Achievement’
Attendees applauded the new format for the Annual Business Meeting, which highlighted the contributions of ASHRM’s many volunteers with a high-energy video introduced by President Martin.
“As a member, I have had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the finest risk managers in the profession,” she noted. “These ‘connections’ have made my years with ASHRM extremely rewarding. I know and we know, because we have experienced it, the power of ASHRM as a connector -- through participation in ASHRM committees and task forces, as faculty, authors and advocates.”
Receiving special recognition were ASHRM’s past presidents; the current board of directors; 2006 Journal of Healthcare Risk Management Writing Excellence Award winner Larry Veltman, MD, for his article “Vaginal birth after cesarean section” (VBAC): Issues for the Risk Manager; and Risk Management Handbook (5th Edition) series editor Roberta Carroll and volume editors Peggy Nakamura, Sylvia Brown and Glenn Troyer.
Eva Satori and Sandra G. Bishop were recognized as newly designated FASHRMs (ASHRM Fellows) while Dan Groszkruger, Melanie Osley and Mary Ott were recognized as newly designated DFASHRMs (Distinguished ASHRM Fellows).
ASHRM’s newest chapters – the Indonesian Clinical Risk Management Institute and the Chilean Society for Healthcare Risk Management – were formally welcomed.
Achievers of the Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM) credential, including the 195 most recent, stood to receive their peers’ applause.
Year of accomplishments
Also during the Annual Business Meeting, ASHRM Executive Director Liz Summy recapped some of the past year’s accomplishments, saying “We are extremely fortunate to have generous and capable volunteers who allow us to advance the profession through every program, publication and service we provide.”
* The Barton Certificate modules, geared to new, developing and experienced risk managers, continued to be a cornerstone program.
* The Patient Safety Curriculum, in its second year, attracted a variety of emerging leaders and gained a reputation for its hands-on format and networking potential.
* ASHRM’s cutting edge audio conferences continued to grow in popularity; the Healthcare Risk Management Week “Update on Patient Safety and Quality Initiatives” Webcast had the highest attendance of any previous offerings.
* Membership continued its steady growth and stayed above the 5,000 mark all year.
* In response to member survey comments, work on identifying and redefining the ASHRM brand was completed. “Beginning in 2007, you will notice a different look for ASHRM … one we believe represents where the profession is going,” Summy said.
* ASHRM continued to be financially sound, and in 2005 was able to deliver high quality and cost effective programs, contribute $200,000 to the ASHRM Foundation and establish a budget and strategic plan for 2007 that will allow new initiatives.
Transition to new leadership
Finally during the Annual Business Meeting, President Martin introduced her successor, Paul English Smith.
“When I assume office as president in January, I will be guided by a strategic plan that is focused on developing the modern risk manager and the profession as a whole,” Smith said. “We intend to accomplish these goals by providing essential and executive level programs, publications and products that advance the technical and leadership competencies of our members; by identifying and advocating on behalf of those issues that critically impact the field of healthcare risk management; and through sound strategic planning and financial performance.”
Among the goals outlined by Smith were:
* Leadership development through specific content in programs, especially at the Annual Conference.
* Continuing collaborations with other organizations to partner around issues critical to colleagues in a variety of healthcare settings and organizations.
* Bringing members a full-service career development resource though the National Healthcare Career Center – “a one-stop portal connecting you and the people and resources you need to advance to that next position.”
* Defining healthcare risk management’s contributions in critical areas like disclosure, captive development and the various uses of data to improve safety.
Taking the oath of office during an Oct. 27 meeting of the ASHRM board of directors were new board members Gregory Terrell and Sharon L. Groves and 2007 President-elect Douglas Borg.
Keynote speakers add varied perspectives
The lineup of 2006 Annual Conference keynote speakers included a best-selling author with unconventional views on leadership, a Harvard researcher whose investigations have uncovered ways to use data from malpractice claims to prevent errors and a communications expert who showed how risk managers can tell their story in a way that connects and inspires.
Steve Farber executive coach and author of the best seller The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership, described the need to take “Extreme Leadership” approaches when he opened the conference Oct. 29.
Crisscrossing the stage in a dynamic presentation, Farber described the elements of the transformational “LEAP” to extreme leadership: “Love” (the ultimate motivator means showing, and thereby receiving, sincere appreciation), “Energy” (generating the enthusiasm in yourself and others to “do the awesome”), “Audacity” (inspiring the commitment to look beyond normal constraints and improve the world) and “Proof” (standing up for what’s right and proving your leadership through measurable progress).
Extreme leaders, Farber advised his risk management audience, are able to make a “human-to-human connection, and that’s where forgiveness comes in – it’s just good business.”
(Farber’s book The Radical Leap is available while supplies last at the ASHRM Store.)
David Studdert, ScD, Ph.D., associate professor of Law and Public Health, Harvard School of Public Health, on Oct. 31 talked about his discoveries as principal investigator of the landmark Malpractice Insurers Medical Error Prevention Study (MIMEPS).
MIMEPS, a Harvard-based project completed in 2005, shed new light on the concept that medical malpractice claims can help improve patient safety. MIMEPS researched 1,450 claims information from five liability insurers over nearly five years to unravel the underlying causes of injury in “the Big 4” areas of litigation: obstetrics, surgical care, missed diagnoses and medication-related events. Studdert shared his insights on how risk management professionals can use information from malpractice claims, even questionable ones, to prevent errors and manage risk.
(The list of supporting publications referred to by Studdert in his presentation is posted at www.ashrm.org/ashrm/annual2006.)
Ira Koretsky, the closing keynote speaker Nov. 1, drew from his unique business communication skills to show how risk managers can tell their story in a positive way that connects and inspires.
To help promote ASHRM’s vision of “safe and trusted healthcare,” he challenged the group to bring out their passion, to share their compassion, and to be confident that their stories should be told and will be listened to.
“Who wouldn't listen to you if you said, ‘I make a difference every day’ in response to ‘What do you do?’,” Koretsky said. He also challenged attendees to spend more time building relationships and to network inside and outside their organizations.
(Koretsky’s blog, including reflections on his ASHRM keynote, is posted at www.chiefstoryteller.com.)
Recordings available
Recordings of selected keynote as well as all concurrent sessions are being sold separately for a limited time. For details on purchasing recordings, attendees and non-attendees may visit www.conferencemedia.net and click on the ASHRM San Diego logo.
Click here to view Annual Conference Photos
FOUNDATION'S SUCCESSFUL YEAR SETS STAGE FOR GROWTH
The ASHRM Foundation, dedicated to the advancement of risk management professionals by funding education, scholarships and research projects, wrapped up a successful year with a number of notable achievements and set the stage for future growth.
Among the foundation’s initiatives and activities in 2006:
* Awarding a total of $11,500 in educational grants and scholarships to seven individuals.
* Hosting a silent auction of portraits painted by artist-lecturer Erik Wahl at the 2005 ASHRM Annual Conference. This event raised $1,000.
* Celebrating the generosity and commitment of donors with a gala event Oct. 31 in San Diego. The 50 attendees each received a small gift – a marble paperweight inscribed with “The ASHRM Foundation, 2006 Inaugural Donor, Building the Foundation.” This event raised more than $8,800.
Looking ahead
The foundation will continue to support advanced learning by providing educational grants up to $1,000 for individuals interested in continuing their education in clinical, legal and regulatory and/or risk financing aspects of risk management.
Also, the foundation will continue to support qualified individuals seeking advanced degrees in risk management, insurance, finance, clinical areas and health care management by awarding scholarships up to $2,500.
And to facilitate the identification of best practices in risk financing, claims administration and patient safety, the foundation will award full or partial research grants.
The 2007 application deadlines are:
March 23
June 29
Sept. 28
Dec. 21.
Interested applicants are invited to visit www.ashrmfoundation.org for guidelines or call (312) 422-3980.
Building the foundation
Financial contributions for these awards come from industry, individuals and ASHRM chapters.
The ASHRM Foundation’s planned giving program offers a wide variety of options for those who are interested in including ASHRM in their financial and estate planning while enjoying applicable tax advantages. Through a memorial or honorary gift to the ASHRM Foundation, individuals or corporations can support its mission while paying tribute to an individual or loved one.
To support the future of safe and trusted healthcare through the ASHRM Foundation, send tax-deductible donations to:
The ASHRM Foundation
c/o Diane Farina White
One N. Franklin
Chicago, IL 60606
Checks should be payable to HRET/The ASHRM Foundation. The ASHRM Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and may be eligible for your company’s matching funds program. For details on giving, call (312) 422-3981.
About the foundation
The ASHRM Foundation was established in 2004 by ASHRM in cooperation with the HRET. The ASHRM Foundation was developed to help facilitate the advancement of the risk management professional by funding education, scholarships and research projects. The mission of the foundation is to secure resources and administer assets that provide support for meeting ASHRM’s strategic goals in education and research.
Patient safety fellowships, scholarships available
ASHRM and the AHA’s Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) invite healthcare risk management professionals to apply for its Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship.
The yearlong program, co-sponsored by ASHRM, brings together healthcare leaders committed to advancing lasting change within their organizations. Through intense learning retreats, discussion and reflection with peers and national experts, fellows share perspectives, expand skill sets and gain knowledge that prepares them to make quality improvement a reality.
Fellowship applications are due by Jan. 30, 2007, with fellows selected in March 2007. To learn more, visit www.hretfellowships.org or e-mail fellowships@aha.org.
ASHRM offers scholarship support to qualified members. To be considered for the scholarship, applicants must indicate their interest on the fellowship application and return it to HRET at 1 N. Franklin, 30th Floor, Chicago, IL 60606. Scholarship candidates must meet the criteria established by HRET to be accepted as a fellow. Meeting the ASHRM criteria does not guarantee acceptance as a fellow.
Click here for scholarship criteria or call (312) 422-3980.
HANDBOOK OFFERED AT INTRODUCTORY PRICE
The new edition of the Risk Management Handbook for Health Care Organizations is available for purchase at a special introductory price. The fifth edition has been expanded into a three-volume series format. Volume 1: “The Essentials” covers basic concepts, Volume 2: “Clinical Risk” focuses on patient care issues and Volume 3: “Business Risk” looks at legal, regulatory and technical issues. The series includes a CD-ROM with exhibits, figures, tables and appendices.
Risk Management Handbook for Health Care Organizations (5th Edition) is on sale for $299 through Jan. 31, 2007. Thereafter, it’s $350 for ASHRM/AHA members, $375 for non-members.
CPHRM prep guide meets many needs
Many useful features are incorporated into ASHRM’s newly updated CPHRM Exam Preparation Guide. The guide, created by a task force of CPHRM-credentialed editors, employs a format that is flexible enough to meet the varied needs of CPHRM candidates.
The guide is organized by CPHRM exam domains. Each domain section includes learning objectives, key terms, section outline, review questions (with answers as well as the rationale for answers), ASHRM resources, other suggestions for additional study and a list of common acronyms. Also, a collection of 100 practice questions encompasses all CPHRM domains and may be a helpful review tool for prospective exam-takers who want to use a multiple choice format that is similar to the CPHRM exam.
(Note: The CPHRM Exam Preparation Guide is included with CPHRM Exam Prep Courses offered by ASHRM in April and October.)
NEW CPHRMS
The Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management designation provides a credential that verifies a broad-based knowledge of risk management. Certification elevates professionals in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Congratulations to recent CPHRM achievers:
Joan Anders, Philadelphia
Mary C. Bachhuber, Gilbert, AZ
Jodi M. Bernstein, Tempe, AZ
Sandra Bledsoe, Nashville, TN
Deborah K. Branton, Rome, GA
Mark F. Campbell, Pasadena, CA
Susan Clairmont, Honolulu
Noella Christine Crayton, Los Angeles
Veronica A. Dickenson, Jefferson City, TN
Jon Thomas Emaus, Brighton, MI
Robert Alan Ernst, Louisville, KY
Kathy K. Ferguson, Knoxville, TN
Karen Fowler, Tucson, AZ
Charlene Glock, Coral Springs, FL
Debora L. Halfpap, Mason City, IA
Sheri J. Hamel, Poway, CA
Darlene M. Holt, Portland, OR
Anne C. Huben-Kearney, North Haven, CT
Toni A. Inserra, Yerington, NV
Candy Johnson, Loudon, TN
Kari L. Johnston, Oklahoma City
Jesse Frederick Knecht, Grand Prairie, TX
Maria Teresa Lindsey, Fairview, TN
Stacey Elizabeth Lohse, Warsaw, IN
Anne H. Maddox, Reston, VA
Karen Marie Mancini, Ellwood City, PA
Margaret Martin, Willowbrook, IL
Ruth Ann Masiongale, Marion, IN
Irene Daly McCall, Billings, MT
Kathy R. Myers, Jacksboro, TN
Laurel Michelle Noble, Whitby, Canada
Jodi Palmer, Oakbrook Terrace, IL
Richard L. Parker, Vicksburg, MS
Deanna Wanda Parsons, Huntington, WV
Rhonda S. Patterson, Houston
Anne M. Paulin, Elmont, NY
Reid A. Pearlman, Smyrna, GA
Kathleen Pendleton, Dallas, GA
Alison R. Phillips, Cooperstown, NY
Erin M. Quirk, Pasadena, CA
Kathleen M. Radcliff, Chillicothe, MO
Deborah Randall, Wakefield, RI
MaryAnn Sadar, Billings, MT
Katherine Ann Salois, Tucson, AZ
Glenna Alice Schindler, Jefferson City, MO
Judith A. Smith, Niceville, FL
Gehan Soliman, New York
Julie Ann Spencer, Temple, TX
Kathleen A. Stanton, Malverne, NY
Deborah Lynn Steck, New Albany, IN
Kevin G. Strom, San Diego
Diane Alice Swartz, Gloversville, NY
Joyce Ann Tedford, Stafford Springs, CT
Cheryl J. Thomas, Spokane, WA
Christine M. Tredent, Ashtabula, OH
Jean M. Turvey, Wichita, KS
Elisabeth Walker, Bonaire, GA
Kathy Waters, Knoxville, TN
Carol Wiseheart, Ocoee, FL
The CPHRM designation is awarded based on participants meeting eligibility requirements and passing an examination.
For details about the designation, download the updated CPHRM Candidate Handbook from the AHA Certification Center via www.aha.org/certification or call (312) 422-3715.
