Veterans Affairs Hospital Risk Management Program

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Table of Contents

Risk Management
Risk management program at Veteran
Difference of VA risk management programs with those of contemporary facilities
Areas that needs improvement
Recommendation on risk management program
References

Risk Management

Veteran medical facility has risk management policies that are aimed at ensuring that the facility offers quality, reliable, and affordable medical care services; other than the provision, the facility has programs that aim at reducing chances of suicide among the veterans. The system looks into both the patients’ characteristics and the aspects of their delivery system. This paper looks into the methods that the facility adopts to manage risks within its facility.

Risk management program at Veteran

The main risk that the hospital has to contend with is the nature and characteristics of its patients; the older people have high tendency of committing suicide, alcoholism, depression, stress, poor psychosocial support, and physical problem; the hospital’s program addresses the above issues as they affect the quality and the attainment of the facilities goals and objectives.

To undertake the process, the risk management program has the following areas to address;

Patients safety

The fact that the major patients of the facility are old people means that there are high chances that they have weak bodies that get ill more often. The facility employs people of high qualification who well understand the conditions of the patients. Other than medical practitioners, the facility has enacted policies that stretch to patients’ care to offer information that can lead to offering high quality services to patients (Richards & Rathbun).

Psychological counseling

The facility has a counseling section where it undertakes counseling to its patients in the efforts to ensure their psychological wellbeing has been looked at. When treating a patient, the doctors and nurses are expected to maintain a track record about the movement of the patient and if possible record the psychological factors like the mood, attitude, and perception. When such parameters have been collected, the facility is able to note any changes for appropriate actions. The counseling is not limited to the patients however it is extended to family members to be able to know the best methods they can handle the patient as well as know which places or areas they can call for help.

Difference of VA risk management programs with those of contemporary facilities

The focus that VA undertakes in its effort to manage risk is different from other contemporary ones on the bases of the kind of risks that they have to address. In modern facilities, the approach to risk management is on preventing the spread of diseases as well as offering high quality services. VA has no much effort on spread of diseases’ as their patients have diseases of a similar nature. Contemporary facilities manage wide variety of diseases thus their programs are more comprehensive.

The rate at which contemporary facilities adopt technology is different from the rate at which VA adopts its technology; the old people are likely to be resistant to new treatments methods thus the facility tends to maintain similar processes and styles in managing its risks and service delivery.

In modern facilities, there is the use of third party risk takers policy – the insurance and assurance bodies; although with modern changes in insurance law the same is possible for the patients of VA, the usage is minimal so the hospital has the task to take (Dulcelina, 1997)

Areas that needs improvement

Although the risk policy adopted by VA seems to be working effectively, there are some changes that need to be undertaken to enhance further effectiveness. The following are areas that can be improved further:

Adoption of new technology: although the rate of technology adoption is limited by the nature of its patients, the company should understand that technology can assist them offer higher quality services
Extend their counseling facilities to suburbs areas: counseling seems to be concentrated on the main facilities and other facilities lack the facility or it’s conducted by people who are not of high knowledge.
Extend counseling to communities over and above family members: the facility should understand that patients are affected by other parameters that are outside their family members’ contribution, they should thus educate the entire community on the need to care and support the veterans (Krenc, 2010).

Recommendation on risk management program

The company should understand that risk management is an extension of quality services; with the understanding the facility should undertake counseling on a wider level than it is doing currently. Programs should be set that focuses on community enlightens on the best ways to handle a veteran’s health situation. In the event that some changes are observed in a patient, there should be mechanisms to report the same to the facility for immediate actions.

VA focus has been more on the retired veterans; the facility should change the approach and extend counseling to existing soldiers in the efforts of preparing them about the future. When such an early approach has be adopted, future generations of veterans will be more enlightened and will be able to handle situations better. It would also be important to maintain some veterans as counselors to their counterparts, this would improve response.

References

Dulcelina, A. (1997) Managing risks in subacute care. Nursing Management, 28(10), 26.

Krenc, T. (2010). Risk management: It’s not just FMEA. Biomedical Instrumentation & Technology, 44(3), 242-244.

Richards, P., & Rathbun, K. (n.d.). Risk Management. Medical Risk Management. Web.

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