Professional collaboration to achieve FASHRM and DFASHRM recognition

Members of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) are undeniably talented. They also share a spirit of volunteerism. Two ASHRM committees are fostering further member collaboration to provide individual growth, enhance educational offerings for members, and strengthen the organization's journal. Though 26% of ASHRM members have attained the CPHRM credential, only 2.5% of ASHRM members have attained a fellow designation. Primary barriers to attaining a fellow designation are the requirements for continuing education and contributions to the risk management field. The organization's Journal Editorial Review Board, in concert with its Annual Conference & Exhibition Committee, encourages members to explore opportunities to write for the Journal, speak at the annual conference, and attain one of the organization's professional designations. In addition, the Barton Certificate Program in Healthcare Risk Management promotes professional development with sessions taught on this topic for new and experienced risk managers.     

ASHRM Board and ERM, “Walking the Walk”

The ASHRM 2015 Board of Directors applied ERM to our Strategic Plan to identify any internal or external threats to the plan by asking a simple question: What could go wrong?     

Our patients' safety through our new vision,mission, and strategic plan

This being my first president's column, I would be remiss if I did not provide a heartfelt thanks to the ASHRM membership, who elected me to serve as your 2013 ASHRM President. Thank you all for allowing me to continue to give back to our fine and noble healthcare risk management profession!.     

Our ASHRM journey continues: ERM for our patients' safety

First and foremost, as your 2013 ASHRM president, I'd like to thank you for all of the significant accomplishments you've helped ASHRM attain this year. And I'll be forever grateful for your support and making my personal and professional dream come true—to serve as your president. Advocating on behalf of all healthcare risk managers and furthering the quest of Getting to Zero for our patients' safety through Enterprise Risk Management, or ERM, has been an honor, because everyone is a risk manager!     

Learning from others: A low‐cost–high‐impact risk/opportunity identification technique

News for risk/opportunity identification (NfROI) is a tool for practitioners to leverage the journey from a risk management mindset to an enterprise risk management approach. NfROI unleashes the power of storytelling and provides a standardized format to enhance the existing practice of gleaning information from sources such as JHRM, news outlets, social media, and the ASHRM Exchange. A series of 3 examples highlight the advantages of learning from others as a complement to retrospective internal data. The stories have implications across the ASHRM's ERM Framework domains and thereby provide bridges across the pillars in the organizational chart. Learning from others can reduce costs and reveal emerging risks before the direct impact on the organization.     

ASHRM code of Ethics

In May, the ASHRM Code of Ethics was mailed to all members. Following is a reprint of the Code of Ethics, as well as the letter from ASHRM president Ellen L. Barton, J.D., CPCU, DASHRM, that introduced the code.     

A dream come true: Being President of ASHRM

During our 33rd Annual Conference of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management, I had the absolute honor and privilege to thank our 2013 ASHRM board and staff along with the ASHRM membership. On behalf of the membership I extended heartfelt thanks for a job well done to our retiring board members, friends, and colleagues: Faye Shepherd, Ellen Grady‐Venditti, Michael Midgley, and Immediate Past President Mary Anne Hilliard. Together, we welcomed 2014 ASHRM board members and witnessed the oath of office to Hala Helm, David Sine, and Sherrill Peters, along with President‐Elect Ellen Grady‐Venditti and our 2014 President Jacque Mitchell.     

Leading the way to professional success

One of the goals contained in the ASHRM Strategic Plan for 2007–2009 is to develop the risk management professional in a changing healthcare environment. The goal is tremendously important to all of us.     

Meeting your needs,now and in the future

President Obama has repeatedly said that healthcare reform is not a luxury that can be postponed but a necessity that cannot wait. Healthcare change is all around us, and ASHRM is continually working to assist its members with opportunities to demonstrate their value and leadership within their respective organizations.     

Pearls of wisdom: Practical application of the Pearls series

Scores of ASHRM members have collaborated to produce the Pearls Series, a set of pocket guides on topics of interest for not only risk managers but also administrators, clinicians, and board members. The succinct format facilitates the dissemination of pertinent information to a wide audience. Risk managers should be knowledgeable of the Pearls topics, understand how to develop appropriate metrics, and manage the monitoring and performance improvement aspects that are critical to ensuring successful knowledge transfer.     

The journey and Journal get better every year

As I enter into my presidency, I have been reflecting on the past and when I first learned of ASHRM and everything the society offered. I think of all the past presidents and how much I admired their knowledge and dedication to the profession of healthcare risk management.     

Spreading the word about the unique and valuable role of healthcare risk managers

Here I am three‐quarters through my year as president of ASHRM and I am still pinching myself that I am where I am! How has your year been? It has been a tough year for everyone in healthcare. With the Affordable Care Act demands on healthcare and the public, concerns about funding, quality initiatives, and overall potential loss of revenue, it's a wonder we are still in healthcare. But would you be doing anything different? I don't think so. I love that I can help make a difference by assisting staff with a difficult patient or situation or help a patient with a care concern that they are totally frustrated with or explain to a fellow risk manager what I would do in the situation they are dealing with. Although we feel like we are being pulled into new healthcare territories for our insight and recommendations, it is an indication of the value we bring to our organizations. We will get through this and there will be more challenges, but as risk management professionals, we can help solve problems and create value in the upcoming changes in healthcare.     

Risk management through staff education

The staff members of a healthcare organization are recognized as students of risk management. The risk manager, through application of the fundamentals of andragogy (i.e., Laming strategies specific to adult learners), is in an advantageous position to assist stafj in successfully applying risk management thought processes and related actions.     

Keep that magic going in 2015!

Greetings and welcome to ASHRM's 35th anniversary year! As I begin my term as president, I acknowledge and appreciate the richness and depth of our organization's history and value the wisdom of our many members and volunteers who have been actively involved in ASHRM from the beginning, as well as those of us who haven't been around that long!     

Working together,staying focused on our goals

When I was elected president of ASHRM for 2009, I accepted the honor as an opportunity to help ASHRM reach new heights. My goal is to support the objectives and goals consistent with the mission, values, and strategic direction of this organization and to do that with integrity through service, teamwork, and innovation. This is a challenging year for all of us individually, which by extension makes it a challenge for ASHRM. Staying focused on my goal will be difficult, but my intention is to do just that.     

A new year,new opportunities for growth

Reflecting back on my 20 years in risk management, I wonder at times how I got this far. In my first risk position, to my great fortune, my boss Melinda felt it important that I attend the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) Annual Conference. Flying out of San Francisco in 1996 after the conference ended, I was in awe of the wealth of information available to me through this venue. I was grateful for those in our industry willing to share their expertise and engage me in conversation at an event where I didn't know a soul. I was hooked, and have missed just a few Annual Conferences since then.     

The risk management professional and medication safety

ASHRM is committed to the future development of the healthcare risk management profession. A key contribution to this commitment is the creation of a student version of ASHRM's best‐selling Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Organizations. The Student Edition was released this spring. It is now being made available to universities and colleges to incorporate into their degree programs.     

The experiences of risk managers in providing emotional support for health care workers after adverse events

Risk managers often meet with health care workers who are emotionally traumatized following adverse events. We surveyed members of the American Society for Health care Risk Management (ASHRM) about their training, experience, competence, and comfort with providing emotional support to health care workers. Although risk managers reported feeling comfortable and competent in providing support, nearly all respondents prefer to receive additional training. Risk managers who were comfortable listening to and supporting health care workers were more likely to report prior training. Health care organizations implementing second victim support programs should not rely solely on risk managers to provide support, rather engage and train interested risk managers and provide them with opportunities to practice.     

Engaging ‘levers’ to guage success

In 2007, as part of its annual strategic planning process, the ASHRM board was fortunate to have the assistance of Rick Foster, an internationally known management consultant and author. Those of you who have participated in the AHA's Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship program have had the opportunity to work with Rick as he showed you what your Myers Briggs personality assessment results really mean, and how to understand different behavioral tendencies predicted by those assessments.     

Risk managers' descriptions of programs to support second victims after adverse events

Guidelines call for healthcare organizations to provide emotional support for clinicians involved in adverse events, but little is known about how these organizations seek to meet this need. We surveyed US members of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) about the presence, features, and perceived efficacy of their organization's provider support program. The majority reported that their organization had a support program, but features varied widely and there are substantial opportunities to improve services. Provider support programs should enhance referral mechanisms and peer support, critically appraise the role of employee assistance programs, and demonstrate their value to institutional leaders.