About Health Care Risk Management

Risk management is vital to ensuring the long-term success of any industry. Health care is no different; health care deals with life and death situations, leading to astronomical risk factors. Health care risk management helps doctors and nurses better limit the risks associated with their jobs.

Financial Purpose

• According to BestInternationalNews.com, the overall purpose of health care risk management is financial. Risk managers want to avoid lawsuits and other costs associated with litigation.

Certification Agencies

• To serve as good resume material and hold up in a litigation hearing, a risk manager's credentials must be certified. The American Society for Healthcare and Risk Management is among the top certifying agencies.

Risk Management Practices

• Health care risk managers reduce potential risk by ensuring employees are following safety protocols and making wise medical decisions. If something goes wrong, a hospital is often protected from blame if the staff followed procedures.

Impact on Doctors

• Most doctors embrace risk management since it helps limit their potential for legal troubles. Many hospitals have staff specifically assigned to risk management. Doctors often choose to become personally certified in risk management.

Impact on Patients

• A medical center that is properly managed will usually have very good care, since doctors and nurses follow important risk-reducing safety standards. However, if complications occur, patients have fewer options for legal recourse if risk was properly managed by the hospital.