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JOINING TOGETHER FOR HEALTHCARE RISK MANAGEMENT WEEK
Enterprise risk management (ERM) practices can minimize serious preventable events and financial, regulatory and liability risks across the system. The key, as successful healthcare risk managers know, is to engage their entire organizations in this pursuit.
Healthcare Risk Management Week advances ASHRM’s vision of safe and trusted healthcare with a special Webcast, local activities and promotional items that support a timely theme. This year, the theme for the week – June 16-20 – is “Safety in Numbers.”
Special Webcast June 18
The week’s centerpiece is the June 18 Webcast/Audioconference, “Finding Safety in Numbers: How Data Can Help Reduce Risks.” The diverse faculty of healthcare leaders will share their real-life case studies centering on medication error reduction, falls prevention and decision-making process improvements in emergency services. They will show how enterprise-wide data collection methodologies, analyses and system enhancements have helped minimize serious preventable events and financial, regulatory and liability risks in their organizations.
In conjunction with the Webcast, ASHRM is publishing a series of monographs that explore standard event taxonomies, surveillance techniques and benchmarking metrics aimed at maximizing the effectiveness of patient safety programs.
Activities to create interest
Engagement of co-workers in the risk management cause during Healthcare Risk Management Week requires planning. Suggestions for activities can be found in the enclosed brochure, plus additional tips on the ASHRM Web site.
Items to build recognition
ASHRM has commissioned commemorative items for risk managers to use in promoting their cause. They display the logo that symbolizes this year’s theme. Exclusive 2008 logo items promoting “Safety in Numbers” include an umbrella (for coverage from adverse weather), calculator, lapel pins, pen, poster and more.
Details on the Web
For details about Healthcare Risk Management Week, including local activities, sample proclamation, the Webcast, tip cards, commemorative gifts and links to the “data for safety” monograph series, visit www.ashrm.org/riskweek.
EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES
Patient Safety Curriculum resumes in July
Experienced patient safety practitioners go beyond the fundamentals and share the tools to apply patient safety principles in practice in ASHRM’s Patient Safety Curriculum. The two-part course will be held in July in Chicago. Faculty members actively engage participants to collaborate in solving patient safety dilemmas. The curriculum will conclude with an interactive daylong workshop to explore how typical challenges can be overcome through solutions learned during the curriculum.
Session 1 will be held July 14-15; Session 2 on July 16-17. Tuition fees are $500 earlybird/$550 regular for members, $600 earlybird/$650 regular for non-members. Watch eNews for curriculum agendas, registration and hotel rates and other details, which will be released this spring.
August Modules registration is now open
Registration is open for the August Barton Certificate Program in Healthcare Risk Management. The modules will be held Aug. 18-20 (Essentials and Advanced Forum) and Aug. 20-22 (Applications) in Chicago. Essentials and Applications registration fees are $600/$700 member/non-member early-bird, $650/$750 regular; Advanced Forum fees are $675/$775 member/non-member early-bird and $775/$825 member/non-member regular. The room block is open at the Renaissance Chicago Hotel, 1 W. Wacker Dr. ASHRM’s discounted room rate is $209 single/double. Call (800) 228-9290 by July 17 to receive this rate for the August sessions. For details, visit www.ashrm.org/ashrm/education/modules.html
As an added incentive, ASHRM is offering the Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Risk Management at a discounted price of $299 to all paid and confirmed August modules participants. Details will be sent to qualified registrants via e-mail after Aug. 1.
Spread the word: ASHRM coming to Boston
Plans are underway for ASHRM’s 2008 Annual Conference & Exhibition. The conference will be held Oct. 2-5 at the Hynes Convention Center in downtown Boston, and themed events will capitalize on the host city’s culture. The Applications Module of the Barton Certificate Program in Healthcare Risk Management (Sept. 29-Oct. 1) and a CPHRM Exam Prep Course (Oct. 1-2) will precede the conference so participants can get the most out their travel dollars. It is expected to be the profession’s biggest education and networking event, with a large and varied selection of vendors represented in the exhibition.
Registration opens in mid-May. Meanwhile, preliminary information, including prices, is posted at www.ashrm.org/annual.
Audio programs available on demand
Recordings of ASHRM audioconferences and Webcasts now are offered online, on demand, within 48 hours of the programs. This convenient new feature enables ASHRM members to listen and learn at their convenience with no waiting for a CD recording to arrive. (CD recordings will continue to be available.) On-demand access includes the entire original program and immediate access to a printable, electronic version of handouts. Pre-registration for on-demand access to upcoming programs is available, also. Original purchasers get unlimited viewing/access for 30 days from the date of purchase or the program, whichever is later. For details, including on-demand availability of recent programs, visit www.krm.com/ashrm and select the “Recordings” link.
Bermuda captive event focuses on healthcare
The 2008 Bermuda Captive Conference, presented in part by ASHRM and its affiliated Bermuda chapter, is set for June 16-19. Issues of particular interest to healthcare captives will be covered June 17-18 when healthcare risk management professionals with innovative approaches to running captives share their unique experiences. ASHRM-sponsored programs will include:
* “Attributes of Excellence: Governance of Nonprofit Captive Insurance Companies”
* “Recent Legal and Regulatory Developments Affecting Healthcare Self-Insurance Programs”
* “Understanding the Insurance Cycle”
* “Captive Funding: How do We Know If We Have Enough?”
* “Coverage Check-up: Assessing and Understanding Your Healthcare Captive’s Coverage”
* “Is It Time for a Captive Insurance Company Audit?”
* “Controlling Our Destiny: The Life of a 25-Year-Old Captive”
* “Risk Management Implications of Never Events”
* “Category 5 Claims: Managing High Exposure Claims Against Healthcare Providers”
Registration for ASHRM members is $300. For details and to register, visit www.bermudacaptive.bm.
June conference to encourage diversity
The AHA Institute for Diversity’s 2008 National Education and Leadership Conference – “Diversity and Disparities: Parallel Challenges for the 21st Century" – will be held June 19-20 in San Antonio, TX. Programs will span a range of topics such as language assistance programs, the role of the board in developing the diversity of leadership, promising practices in diversity management and more. For program details and registration information, visit www.diversityconnection.org.
ASHRM FOUNDATION UPDATE
Scholarship winners announced
The ASHRM Foundation has announced its latest scholarship winners and the new availability of scholarships for ASHRM’s Annual Conference.
Fran Charney of Shermansdale, PA, is the recipient of an $18,000 scholarship for her Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship (PSLF) Action Learning Project, “Patient Safety Initiative for Accurate Specimen Collection.” The project will be conducted at Holy Spirit Health System in Camp Hill, where she is Director of Risk Management. The PSLF is sponsored by the AHA’s Health Research and Educational Trust (HRET) in partnership with ASHRM. For details about the PSLF, visit www.hret.org.
Stephanie Foreman of Hartsville, SC, is the recipient of a $2,500 scholarship. She will use it toward pursuit of a master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in finance at Winthrop University in South Carolina.
Robert Bunting of Midland, GA, also is the recipient of a $2,500 scholarship. His funds will be used toward pursuit of a Ph.D. in business administration with a specialization in healthcare administration from Northcentral University in Arizona.
The ASHRM Foundation scholarship program offers financial support to students pursuing degrees in risk management, insurance, finance, clinical areas and healthcare management. The grants go to qualified individuals interested in continuing their education in clinical, legal and regulatory and/or risk financing aspects of risk management. Upcoming application deadlines are June 13 and Sept. 1.
Annual conference scholarships offered
Additionally this year, the foundation is offering a limited amount of educational funding to offset the registration fee (no travel or hotel expenses will be supported) for ASHRM’s annual conference Oct. 2-5, 2008, in Boston. Those in financial need who are interested in applying are invited to visit www.ashrmfoundation.org to review the application guidelines. Completed applications are due June 13.
Foundation awards are supported by contributions from individual ASHRM members, chapters, industry and individual donors. For information about the ASHRM Foundation, visit www.ashrmfoundation.org or contact Joann Ciatto, Director of Operations and Development, at jciatto@aha.org; (312) 422-3981.
ADVOCACY
ASHRM issues recommendations on color wristbands
In accordance with its vision of safe and trusted healthcare, ASHRM is taking a leadership role in creating a national standard in the use of color-coded wristbands for patient safety purposes.
In December 2005, the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority released an advisory following a near miss in which clinicians almost failed to resuscitate a patient who was incorrectly designated as DNR because a nurse had placed a yellow wristband on the patient. In that hospital, the color yellow signified “do not resuscitate” (DNR). However, the nurse also worked at another hospital in which the color yellow signified “restricted extremity” not to be used for phlebotomy or IV access.
In 2007, ASHRM completed a national survey of state hospital association representatives who had responsibility in Quality and/or Patient Safety to assess color-coded wristband usage, models and band colors.
The sample population size was 54, inclusive of all states plus District of Columbia, Military Health Services, Veterans Administration Health System and Northern Indiana.
The survey revealed that 60 percent of the population was currently in discussion, developed/developing a model or had adopted an existing model. The models many of the population surveyed had adopted or consulted were either the Pennsylvania or the Arizona model. The Western Regional Alliance (Arizona’s model) issued a three-colored plan in October 2006, consistent with Pennsylvania’s (August 2006) five colors and policies and processes with the exception of the DNR color selection (Pennsylvania’s selection is blue; Arizona’s is purple). Pennsylvania and Arizona’s models were adapted in their entirety 50 percent of the time. The other 50 percent reflected modification of the Pennsylvania and Arizona models, a blending of the models or development of a model unrelated to those models.
According to the national survey, the color wristbands were used most frequently nationally for DNR, allergy and fall categories. Allergy had a national color acceptance (17) of red. Falls had a national color acceptance (16) of yellow. The DNR color-coded wristband had the most variation, with DNR being designated as purple (12), blue (3) and clear with insert (1).
Based on these findings, ASHRM is recommending:
DNR – Purple (71 percent reported are already using purple)
Allergy – Red (100 percent reported are already using red)
Falls – Yellow (94 percent reported are already using yellow)
Other findings in the survey: Pink was the color used for restricted limbs (6), latex allergy was reflected on the allergy band or the color green (1). Also in the findings were some state mandates that designated a color such as orange for patients at risk for falls.
ASHRM is sharing these results with members to inform their efforts as they or their state hospital associations work on standardization. Already, in light of the ASHRM survey, a consortium of hospitals from Pennsylvania has accepted the color of purple as the standard color designating the critical DNR directive.
Contributing: Fran Charney, RN, CPHRM
PSO: Summary of the proposed rules
The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA) of 2005 encourages voluntary reporting of errors to patient safety organizations (PSOs) by making patient safety data confidential and privileged. Data that qualifies as “patient safety work product,” shared with certified PSOs, shall be protected (with limited exceptions) from discovery in civil, criminal or administrative proceedings.
But in 2005, the statute provided only a general description of how CMS intended to certify PSOs to receive, process and report patient safety data. This year, on Feb. 12, CMS published draft regulations (at 73 Federal Register 8112-8183) to implement the PSQIA. The proposed regulations address the desired qualifications, application process, evaluation and certification of PSOs.
PSOs are described as “new organizations with expertise in patient safety ... which can provide confidential, expert advice to health care providers in the analysis of patient safety events” (73 Fed. Reg. 8113). The protections attach to “patient safety work product” as defined in the PSQIA. “Patient safety information that is: a) collected or developed by a provider and reported to a PSO, or b) developed by a PSO when conducting defined “patient safety activities” or c) reveals the deliberations of a provider or PSO within a patient safety evaluation system, is protected.” (Id.)
Importantly, the mere reporting of patient safety data to a PSO will not necessarily protect all such data, nor shield it from discovery. For example, medical records (or parts thereof) may be reported to PSOs, but a patient’s record cannot qualify as patient safety work product under the statute.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the federal Office of Civil Rights (OCR), the agency tasked with the enforcement of the PSQIA, hosted a teleconference on Feb. 29. Carolyn M. Clancy, director of AHRQ, and Susan McAndrew, OCR’s Deputy Director of Health Information Privacy, participated. Although the teleconference was helpful, it was clear that many questions remained to be answered.
The federal government will not fund PSOs. However, the proposed regulations are flexible to allow various approaches to funding. PSOs may enroll two or more subscribers, who pay fees, or they may identify alternative sources of funding. Each organization that wishes to be certified as a PSO must submit a sworn attestation to AHRQ, confirming that it can perform the required “patient safety activities” (e.g., collection and analysis of patient safety work product, take steps to maintain confidentiality and security, etc.) and promising to act in good faith.
OCR will enforce the confidentiality and security of patient safety work product, as it does under the HIPAA regulations. OCR is authorized to impose civil monetary penalties (up to $10,000 per violation) in the event of false attestation, inadequate performance or improper disclosures.
While stand-alone PSOs are possible, the initial group of certified PSOs likely will be subdivisions or components of existing entities. Putting together a qualified staff with adequate IT capabilities will require significant capital. Since no federal funding is available, starting up a PSO will depend on securing enough money (about $1.2 million, on average, estimated for the first year, alone) to organize and begin operations, prior to earning any revenues. And, where existing entities start up new PSOs, firewalls must separate the existing entity and the new PSO to ensure that data confidentiality is maintained.
Given the significant start up costs and the possibility that few PSOs will be able to launch operations, it is impossible to accurately estimate the fees necessary to sustain a PSO’s long-term viability. While hospitals, physicians and other providers may be eager to join a new PSO, the likelihood of providers being willing and able to subscribe will depend heavily on the fees.
(A public comment period ended April 14. Comments from ASHRM will be shared in the May-June Forum.)
Further information is available at www.ahrq.gov/news/press/pr2008/psopr.htm and www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/cfr-table-search.html
Contributing: Dan Groszkruger, JD, MPH, DFASHRM, CPHRM
Online compensation survey offers instant access to data
ASHRM has launched online compensation survey to support its members’ informational needs.
Through this subscription-based, on-demand survey, participants can compare their compensation information to that of other risk managers. All participants who set up an account and complete the survey, which is hosted on a password-protected Web site, are entitled to receive one free basic report. Participants who purchase a subscription to the survey can select criteria for customized reports.
Data on experience, professional level/responsibilities, compensation and benefits, and job functions are collected. The survey is always available and can be continuously updated by users.
Participation is the key to reliable data. The greater the participation, the more useful the reports become. Take the survey now.
VENDORS DIRECTORY AIMED AT DECISION-MAKERS
Members who are consultants may find the ASHRM Vendors Directory to be a cost-effective way to promote their expertise to healthcare providers. Accessible via a link on the ASHRM home page, this new and continually expanding search engine indexes the Web sites of all companies and consultants represented in the directory so users can easily learn about products and services of interest without the clutter of a general Internet search.
Within the ASHRM Vendors Directory, users have the option of performing keyword-driven searches or a category-specific search. Both methods produce the most relevant results on the Web.
With the downloadable desktop search application, users can search for products and services directly from a small search window on their desktops, making the search process as convenient and time-efficient as possible. The ASHRM Vendors Directory also includes a Request for Information tool, enabling users to contact a group of suppliers with one click of a button.
Members are encouraged to explore the directory and take advantage of this new business tool so that they can be better-informed decision-makers and influencers.
To learn how to be included in the ASHRM Vendors Directory, contact ashrm@multiview.com.
HOSTING A LOCAL CPHRM EXAM PREP COURSE
As a service to local chapters and other clients who want to support the professional development of their members or employees, ASHRM offers a locally administered CPHRM Examination Preparation Course. This is a convenient, cost-effective one-day version of the course provided by ASHRM.
The course requires a minimum of eight hours with a set agenda, 8 a.m.-5 p.m., for content delivery.
Pick a date: Many chapters and clients bundle the course with a regular meeting or other program. Allow three months to plan and market. Check with ASHRM to make sure that the date does not conflict with ASHRM programming.
Order the prep guide: ASHRM offers a discount for the CPHRM Exam Prep Guide, which corresponds to the course. To minimize shipping costs, books should be ordered at least two weeks before the course. Unused books can be returned for credit.
Promote the chapter event: ASHRM can supply a sample program brochure and a list of local ASHRM members for chapters to contact. ASHRM also promotes local chapter courses in eNews and on the ASHRM Web site.
To simplify the process, ASHRM has set a standard administration fee for chapters of $2,700 to cover all specified support. The fee for client businesses is $3,500. Contact Krishna Lynch at klynch@aha.org or (312) 422-3982 to receive details.
ON THE MOVE
Mark A. Rogers, RN, CPHQ, CPHRM, to patient safety/quality specialist, Hill Country Memorial Hospital, Fredericksburg, TX.
R. Stephen “Steve” Trosty, JD, MHA, CPHRM, to private consulting in healthcare risk management, in Haslett, MI.
Marva West Tan, RN, ARM, FASHRM, to private consulting in performance improvement, patient safety and pay for performance in Savannah, GA.
Send updates to ashrm@aha.org. Member contact details may be found in the ASHRM member directory at www.ashrm.org.
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. It is awarded based on participants meeting eligibility requirements and passing an examination.
Congratulations to recent CPHRM achievers:
Maureen Therese Longe Barber, Kalamazoo, MI
Dotty J. Bollinger, Apollo Beach, FL
Judith S. Brune, Louisville, KY
Cynthia D. Bullard, Delaplane, VA
Rebecca Fiscel Cady, Hanford, CA
Charles B. Conklin, Plano, TX
Linda Sue Curry, Allegan, MI
Mary I. Milano, Centerville, OH
Judith R. Sands, Fort Lauderdale, FL
Cynthia S. Siders, Grand Forks, ND
Lisa Gaye Stiles, Mansfield, TX
Rebecca L. Taccone, Elkton, MD
Catherine M. Treen, Indianapolis
The complete and most current list of CPHRM certificants – more than 1,148 as of March 15, 2008 – can be found at www.aha.org/certification (select the “Certificants” link on the left-hand side of the page).
For details about the designation, download the updated CPHRM Candidate Handbook from the AHA Certification Center via www.aha.org/certification or call (312) 422-3711.
Assessment tool available
An online tool is available for preparing for the CPHRM Exam. Created by the AHA Certification Center (the people who created the exam), the Self-Assessment Exam (SAE) simulates the actual exam in format and content. The test offers rationales for correct and incorrect options, as well as several score reports that highlight the exam topics that they scored well in and those that need improvement. For details about the SAE, contact the AHA Certification Center at (312) 422-3713.
Applying, scheduling online
CPHRM candidates who pay by credit card can apply for the exam online and schedule an appointment to test in one visit. This tool may be used for computer-based testing only.
Visit www.goAMP.com, click on “Candidates,” select the “Healthcare” category, select the “AHA Certification Center” program, select the CPHRM examination application, select “Register for Exam,” log-in as a new user to create a certification profile, and follow the prompts to enter application information, eligibility and payment information, then schedule the exam. Note: When setting up an account: click on “Member,” then enter your ASHRM member number.
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