Hospital loss prevention programs

This experience has helped us identify four key areas that an organization should consider when developing its loss prevention strategy. Also, there has been a pretty well adopted belief as well as literature to support the notion that happy patients are less likely to bring litigation. By investing budget dollars in this arena, hospitals can impact both their reimbursement and hospital professional liability.

Many closed claims studies have been published that point to the failure to diagnose or delay in diagnosis as the most frequent and expensive malpractice claim in the Emergency Medicine, Hospital Medicine and Ambulatory environments. Factors contributing to these losses include cognitive errors, gaps in communication, and lapses in vigilance and memory.

Fortunately, there have been many success stories presented at national forums on the significant reductions that many hospital systems have experienced after implementing a sustainable, multi-faceted program targeted at the largest drivers of patient morbidity and mortality. In some cases, these success stories led to their captive repatriating tens of millions of dollars back to the hospital system for reinvestment into other initiatives.

While diagnosis-related adverse events can be broad and cover many medical conditions, Obstetrics-related adverse events tend to be more focused in a few key areas; these include electronic fetal heart rate monitoring competency and appropriate oxytocin intervention, preparedness and response to obstetrical emergencies, and identifying and managing postpartum hemorrhage.

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Meet the Author with Robert J. De Boer. Safety Talks 18 - Heat Stress Preparedness. Develop a safety review and inspection process to identify operational hazards and observe employee work methods. Periodic review and inspections allows you to gauge the effectiveness of your Loss Prevention Program. During a safety review you look for or observe the following:.

In the review and inspection process, do your best to eliminate the physical hazards identified. Then, modify standard operating procedures or workstations as needed. Document your inspections, including appropriate follow-up procedures. Determine whether past recommendations have been addressed and implemented. Despite your precautions, an accident might still occur.

When this happens, it is important that you report the injury to SFM and conduct an immediate and thorough investigation. Follow these steps:. Use the sample Loss Prevention Program attached to write your own. Be sure to personalize the program to fit the needs of your organization. You must be logged in to post a comment.