Risk Management and the Emergency Department : Exectuive Leadership Fpr Protecting Patients and Hospitals

The Emergency Department (ED) is not only the front door to your hospital; it’s where your organization is most susceptible to inefficiencies and adverse outcomes. This handbook provides the knowledge and tools you need to address or avoid the problems inherent in ED healthcare.

With an emphasis on the importance of leadership, the authors explore how executives can design systems that minimize risk at the front lines. Real-world examples illustrate strategies that led to a safer, more reliable healthcare environment.

Topics covered include:

Elements of the ED that can contribute to waits, delays, and errors The role of the board in risk-management strategies Standardization in the ED The power of apologies in emergency medicine Popular myths and misinformation surrounding EMTALA, HIPAA, Stark, and kickbacks Management of the twelve “deadly” clinical scenarios that lead to most ED lawsuits The basics of a lawsuit, including causation, breach, negligence, and damages Survival strategies when legal action is imminent Alignment of clinicians and administrators during legal proceedings

Shari J. Welch, MD, FACEP, FACHE, has been a practicing emergency physician for 20 years and a quality improvement consultant for 10 years. Dr. Welch has been a guest speaker at the Urgent Matters Conference, the ED Benchmarks Conference, the EDPMA Solutions Summit, VHA regional meetings, the AHRQ’s national meeting, and American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) national meetings. Her quality improvement research has been published in numerous journals. She is currently a faculty member at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and on the clinical faculty at the Urgent Matters Project for the Patient Flow Network.

 

Books published by Health Administration Press:

 

Risk Management and the Emergency Department: Executive Leadership for Protecting Patients and Hospitals