How can an anesthesia risk management expert help you?

While most risk managers have a medical/nursing background, many fail to appreciate the complexity of subspecialty areas such as anesthesia.  An anesthesia risk management consultant can help you develop a comprehensive anesthesia monitoring and response program that will mesh with your current RM system.

Preparation:

As with any risk identification system, the risk manager should be proactive in order to avoid Potentially Compensable Events (PCEs) and to minimize the frequency and magnitude of those that occur. A specialist in anesthesia risk management can benefit the organization prospectively by minimizing the potential for, and damage from, a PCE.  Examples include:

-- Evaluation of exposure

-- Risk mapping

-- Review of the existing formal risk identification systems such as incident reporting, occurrence reporting, generic screening, sentinel events, etc.

-- Review/development/use of additional informal risk identification systems including rounds, staff meeting minutes, survey reports, hotline, biomedical engineering reports (MDR), pharmacy (ADR), patient satisfaction surveys, etc.

-- Inspection of anesthesia sites, equipment, processes, and documentation for deficiencies.

Response to an incident:

The anesthesia risk manager can help you and your anesthesia department prepare to respond to a PCE in order to maintain evidence and minimize liability. The risk manager or anesthesia risk specialist should work with the practitioner(s) involved to:

-- Insure that the patient receives all necessary immediate medical attention

-- Obtain and secure evidence that could be lost or altered

    -- EKG strips and vital sign histories from the monitor(s)

    -- Damaged materials related to the incident (burnt drapes from an OR fire, etc.)

    -- Damaged or malfunctioning equipment (armboards, infusion pumps, etc.) BEFORE going for repair

-- Insure that contemporaneous documentation on the patient's record is completed by everyone who may be involved

-- Insure all internal documentation is completed and secured for assistance in legal defense

-- Assist in claims management

Risk Control/Risk Financing:

Whether your anesthesia providers are hospital employed, outside contractor, or a combination of both, the anesthesia risk manager can help you determine the best methods for minimizing exposure.

-- Exposure avoidance

-- Loss prevention

-- Loss reduction

-- Segregation of loss exposures

    -- Separation

    -- Duplication

-- Risk Retention

-- Risk Transfer