Patient safety and financial efficiency are not incompatible goals. In fact, they are often complementary. One goal of risk management is to reduce the probability that adverse outcomes will occur and lead to liability exposure. Accomplishing this mission will likely lead not only to improved patient outcomes, but also to a safer and a more financially solvent healthcare facility.
Generally, risk identification and prevention include mitigation of circumstances that may contribute to potential liability. From a purely financial point of view, avoidance of negative outcomes is vital, since in most cases the cost of preventing liability claims is far less than the cost of resolving them. Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) alone accounted for 12.2 percent of total legal liability costs incurred by healthcare facilities in 2007, according to Aon Corporation in its 2008 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis, released in conjunction with the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM).
HACs related to respiratory care, such as ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and infectious outbreaks, clearly demonstrate the importance of risk identification and prevention programs to both patients and healthcare facilities. A holistic approach to address these HACs can improve both clinical and financial outcomes in respiratory care. This can be accomplished by increasing the efficacy and functionality of medical devices used in respiratory care.
Prevention of respiratory infection requires provider education, employment of best practices and the adoption of effective technology. To achieve this, clinicians and administrators should consider:
