Risk Management: Medical Professional Liability
IRMS has provided risk management services to Illinois hospitals and physician groups for more than 40 years. Current clients include 26 hospital members of the Illinois Provider Trust, 20 other self-insured hospitals and over 1,200 physicians.
Risk services are available as a comprehensive package or can be limited or tailored, depending upon each client's unique needs.
Available services include:
- General Consultative Services
Hospitals are allowed unlimited access to our team of experienced risk consultants by telephone or email to receive answers to questions related to enterprise-wide risk management issues. Staff provides clients with well-researched risk management opinions that help guide hospitals and physicians to minimize their risk profiles and mitigate liability exposures. All inquiries are responded to expediently, recognizing the immediacy of some clinical practice concerns, and understanding that timeliness is important to you.
- Risk Management Educational Meetings
We offer several educational programs each year, focused on clinical and patient safety issues impacting claims and risk management. These programs focus on high risk departments and processes, utilize claims case studies to facilitate learning, and address best practices in risk management and patient safety. Periodic webinars are offered each year to address topics of current risk management relevance.
- In-service Education Programs and On-site Visits
In-service programs can be provided upon request and may also be offered if the claims or risk management staff identifies a specific problem or trend through claims analysis. Topics include documentation, confidentiality, medical-legal issues for nurses, EMTALA, reducing patient falls, prevention of medical errors, etc. Claims examples, case studies and storytelling are used to illustrate how good risk management practices can prevent adverse events. Documentation review and individual hospital claims information can be used to supplement the education to ensure pertinence. Staff is available to attend meetings on-site as requested to provide risk management consultation.
- Risk Management Audits of High Risk Departments
General hospital-wide risk assessments, evaluation of risk management programs, and focused risk management surveys of clinical departments such as emergency, obstetrics, behavioral health, radiology, and surgical and anesthesia services can be performed. The risk assessment assists hospitals to identify and reduce liability risk, improve quality of care, and enhance patient safety. A detailed report is provided with recommendations for the organization to use to implement new or change existing policies, procedures, practices, rules and/or regulations.
- Risk Management Best Practice Reviews
A targeted review of high-risk and other clinical areas such as emergency departement, surgery, obstetrics, IV therapy and medication safety performed to identify practices, policies, procedures, or behaviors that can pose risk to the organization. Evaluation criteria are shared with the hospital prior to an on-site visit. A report is provided that shows the hospital's compliance with the criteria and includes best practice recommendations.
- Risk Management Audits of Physician Practice
Risk assessments can be performed for the solo practitioner or for medical group practices, and can be used to assist hospitals and/or physician office practices to identify and reduce liability risk, improve quality of care, and enhance patient safety. A risk assessment can also assist a hospital in evaluating potential risk when considering acquisition of a physician practice or group. A detailed report is provided with recommendations for the organization to use in its evaluation and/or to implement new or change existing policies, procedures, and practices.
- Risk Management Education for Physicians
Risk management seminars and on-site educational programs that provide practical strategies to reduce and control practice risk are available for physicians insured by Medical Alliance Insurance Company. IRMS has also partnered with Med-IQ, Inc. to provide insured physicians with access to on-line risk management CME courses and case studies. Through the Risk AdvantageSM program, insured physicians can earn discounts on their premium by completing any of the risk management educational programs.