HCS456 UOPX How Do Regulatory and Accreditation Standards Impact Risk Management Process Within Health Care Organizations?

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1.Write a 175- to 265-word response to the following:

  • How do regulatory and accreditation standards impact risk management process within health care organizations? Provide examples.

Read and respond to at least two of your classmate’s discussion posts. Be constructive and professional with your thoughts, feedback, or suggestions. 125 words each response

2.Risk managers try to use proactive measures to reduce or minimize damage or to prevent incidents in the workplace but these measures must be in compliance with regulatory and accreditation standards. Accreditation and regulations are like the do’s and don’ts of what a health facility can and can’t do. Either you abide or pay the consequences which can be fines, penalties and even revoked license. Facilities may perform risk assessments or make recommendations for improvements but if it doesn’t align with the requirements of regulatory agencies, then it can’t be done. Managers want to ensure that they are delivering quality care and putting patient’s safety first but you don’t want it done at the expense of the facility. You don’t want to put patients at risk by serving them in a place that isn’t approved by state regulations or obeying government laws. So risk managers have to mindful of all stakeholders involved before implementing anything. For example, a hospital wants to contract a third party HIT company to monitor and assess patient’s heart devices 24/7 to avoid misreading and misinterpretation by patients or just to be a second pair of eyes. They want to minimize the risks of patients having heart attacks, strokes etc. The risk managers just can’t go ahead and put this in place without following a structured process, proper procedures and policies.

3.Risk management processes are in place to protect patient safety as well as to protect the healthcare provider or organization. Some regulatory and accreditation standards help to standardize practices which contributes to improving patient care. However, there are also situations where regulatory or accreditation standards make patient safety a little more challenging which then creates a little more work for risk management. For example, The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is a regulation in place to protect patient privacy. The rule comes with a set of standard expectations and consequences for not following those expectations. If a patient’s privacy is violated, the healthcare organization is liable, not the individual employee who created the violation. Educating employees and keeping record of their acknowledgment and training is a huge necessity in this type of case. Joint Commission has a set of standard expectations that must be adhered to in order to remain accredited. Hospitals have to evaluate processes and procedures to ensure their effectiveness and quality but also to ensure they are complaint and meet the regulatory and accreditation standards. These standards can build a baseline for how risk management will develop certain policies and procedures. It is important for Risk Management to be aware of these standards so that they are prepared for any concerns or issues that may arise.