Healthcare risk managers work hard to identify patient safety hazards, assess the level and type of risk, control or remove potential harm and loss triggers, monitor risks and improve performance.  With their eyes on patient safety and internal risk management activities, a few things sometimes fall through the cracks because they are out of sight, and out of mind. We have identified three mistakes risk managers make and how to avoid them.  This is the second:

Don’t Let Your Clients Fail to Delegate and Hold Partners Accountable. 

According to Ultra’s partner for Risk Management, OmniSure Consulting Group, probably the single most common reason risk managers leave money on the table that could be used to help fund risk management and patient safety initiatives is that they are just too busy.  Risk managers are often spread thin and wear multiple hats.  So, after the professional liability policy is bound and the policy secured, often everyone forgets about it and moves on to the next thing, expecting that the other parties are going to make it happen. As the broker, you may be off to the next big sale, the risk officer returns to the stack of projects on the desk, and the carrier waits for the phone to ring. No one stops to read all the details about how to secure the services and money promised at the time the professional liability policy was secured or renewed.  And, often, no one takes responsibility for making it happen. 

This is where a broker can really shine by taking ownership and holding everyone accountable so things don’t fall through the cracks. 

Instead of hiring in-house staff dedicated to clinical risk management or risk management oversight, Ultra’s brokers have a dedicated and highly specialized service partner in OmniSure to facilitate services on behalf of the client.  Ultra engages OmniSure to determine the healthcare organization’s needs and goals, hold the carrier accountable for what they have committed to, to provide specialized support, and sometimes to find other outside resources to meet the client’s needs. 

Ben Newman for example, negotiates risk management dollars for every account he places and then he delegates the oversight of that to OmniSure.  In some cases, OmniSure provides the service.  In other cases, OmniSure helps facilitate and coordinate services provided by the carrier or other specialists.  In all cases, the healthcare client gets valuable support, services, and funds, that improve patient safety and quality, reduce risk, benefit the bottom line.  That kind of positive experience is good for everyone and goes a long way to strengthen relationships between retail brokers and their clients.   

Advice: As your client’s trusted retail broker, take responsibility for promised risk management funds and services by coordinating it yourself or by calling a firm like OmniSure to facilitate it. 

VIDEO Tip – Delegation & Accountability