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ASHRM ‘now must create the legacy’
ASHRM celebrated its 25th anniversary Oct. 23-26 in San Antonio, TX, with its largest Annual Conference & Exhibition. ASHRM President Pamela Popp welcomed more than 2,200 registered attendees (more than 3,400 total attendees) and 160 exhibitors to the “silver celebration,” saying, “We have grown and now must create the legacy to chart our next course and train our new generations.”
AHA President Dick Davidson on Monday addressed the Annual Business Meeting by video and congratulated ASHRM on its milestone as a personal membership group of the AHA.
“Twenty-five years of making a positive difference in health care is significant and I couldn’t be prouder to have you in the AHA family,” Davidson said. “I know I speak on behalf of our member hospitals’ leadership when I thank you for everything you do to manage the diversity of risks – whether they are clinical or financial – every day.”
Variety of keynotes
The week’s four keynote sessions provided a variety of engaging perspectives on the challenges that health care risk management professionals face.
In Sunday’s opening keynote session, consultant, author and futurist Jim Carroll tackled “The Future of Health Care: Opportunities for Transformation and Renewal.” He quoted from his popular book, What I Learned from Frogs in Texas: Saving Your Skin With Forward Thinking Innovation to show how to anticipate trends, develop key leadership skills for the future and confidently view change as an opportunity to pursue.
Monday’s general session featured two people bonded through tragedy who learned how to identify ways to achieve an ultimately positive outcome: safer care for others. Seated on stage, Sorrel King heart-wrenchingly described the death of her hospitalized young daughter and told of her journey to help prevent the medical mistakes from being repeated.
“It’s important not to end an incident with ‘case closed’ because a lot of good can come from it, from the lessons learned,” King said.
She expressed gratitude for the continuing support of her co-presenter, ASHRM member Rick Kidwell, who was the hospital’s risk manager she turned to after her daughter died. Corrective action is vital, Kidwell said, agreeing with Sorrel’s approach to establishing greater patient-caregiver teamwork. “You can’t just promise to do better,” Kidwell said.
Erik Wahl of The Wahl Group in San Diego energized Tuesday’s general session audience with his “Art of Vision.” Using blank canvases, he showed new ways an organization can use more creative solutions and be more responsive to the needs of others. “Our minds become cluttered with ready-made ‘right’ answers,” he declared, turning one completed canvas upside-down to reveal a portrait of Albert Einstein. “We need to learn to twist challenges into opportunities.”
The closing keynote session on Wednesday featured author Joseph Grenny. He pointed out that health care risk managers have “crucial conversations” every day yet don’t always appreciate how important the conversations can be. He talked about how to make conversations more effective in risk management and he discussed research conducted on communication and on ways to strategically apply these findings (his whitepapers “Silence Kills” and “Dialogue Heals” are available at www.vitalsmarts.com).
(Recordings of Sunday and Monday keynotes are available at www.conferencemedia.net.)
Click here to view photos from the conference.
Partnerships enable ASHRM to offer risk financing tools
ASHRM is providing its members with special access to two products that can prove the value of risk management efforts to the health care industry and provide them with up-to-date tools to make better business decisions.
Liability benchmark analysis
The 2005 Hospital Professional Liability and Physician Liability Benchmark Analysis, co-sponsored by Aon Corp. and ASHRM, shows the overall frequency of medical liability claims decreased by 1 percent in the past year, indicating stabilization of defense costs that can allow more money for patient care.
The annual study indicates the decline in the number of claims for both hospitals and physicians was the first in the six years of the study.
“Actions taken by health care systems to improve quality of care and a heightened awareness of how quality care and patient safety tie directly to the cost of risk have also
played a role in the decline,” noted Greg Morris, chief operating officer of Aon Healthcare.
The comprehensive study examines more than 200,000 hospital bed equivalents and
represents approximately 10 percent of the hospital professional liability
market, and 15 percent of the alternative segment of the market, making it the
largest analysis of its kind.
In total, the analysis database contains 53,000 non-zero claims, representing
$4.5 billion of incurred losses, and includes historical claims information for
10 accident years (1995-2004). The study also includes breakouts of claim
costs and frequency trends by facility type, including university, specialty,
religious, publicly traded and community.
The analysis is available at a discounted price for ASHRM members at (800) 242-2626 (item no. 178700). To review the table of contents, visit www.ashrm.org (Resources, Tools & Products, ASHRM Products).
Insurance survey and tool
Advisen Ltd., a provider of commercial insurance analytics, benchmarking and market information, has formed a co-marketing partnership with ASHRM to explore commercial insurance trends and market conditions in health care. Advisen and ASHRM are interviewing risk management professionals to determine pricing and other trends, including loss trends, for key commercial insurance lines in health care, as well as developing other research tools to offer insight into this vertical market.
Advisen currently offers a similar program across the broader commercial insurance market with the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS).
“Advisen has provided analysis into the market conditions of all insurance markets for several years through other industry partnerships,” said Thomas P. Ruggieri, CEO of Advisen. “Working with ASHRM, we plan to drive deeper into a vertical category and provide similar market data to give health care professionals the tools to make better business decisions.”
Advisen expects to publish results of the survey by first quarter 2006. For details, visit www.advisen.com.
Online ed courses focus on financing
The first module in ASHRM’s inaugural online education program, “Risk Financing for Risk Managers,” is now available.
“Fundamentals of Health Care Risk Financing” addresses basic elements of risk financing, including how risk financing fits into the risk management process. The course allows users to work at their own pace in an easy-to-navigate online environment with pre- and post-tests, examples of real-world risk financing situations, definition of terms, sample documents and more.
The curriculum was developed by ASHRM’s Online Education Committee and is hosted by CareLearning, a nonprofit association of hospital-related groups that provides online learning services to hospitals and health-care systems.
The remaining four modules of “Risk Financing for Risk Managers” will be released in 2006. They are:
“Principles & Practices of Insurance”
insurance terminology and concepts
“Submissions & Renewals”
- preparing for the renewal process
- negotiation skills
- case studies in applying for commercial insurance
“Alternatives in Risk Financing “
- alternative risk financing options – captives, risk retention groups, self-insurance
“Enterprise Risk Financing”
- lines of coverage in multiple health care environments
To take the first course, which costs $99, visit www.carelearning.com, click “Catalogs: Courses” and select the Risk Management category. Completion certificates and continuing education credits are offered.
Meeting celebrates a year of shining successes
ASHRM’s Annual Business Meeting held Oct. 24 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, TX, during the Annual Conference & Exhibition, highlighted the society’s achievements and achievers of the past quarter-century.
Achievements
“Twenty-five years ago, our charter members embodied the hope that – through sharing of time and talents – a network would develop to respond when needed and to anticipate the next need,”ASHRM 2005 President Pamela Popp said. “We are here today, in this 25th year, on the edge of those initial hopes, and moving forward with our own hopes for the next 25 years.”
During her report to members, Popp reiterated ASHRM’s strategic dedication to professional development, advocacy and representation and organizational development. Some of the year’s milestones:
ASHRM Foundation. Characterizing it as the “vision of the future for ASHRM,” Popp said “the creation of the ASHRM Foundation will allow present and future generations to benefit from, and give back to, the society.” Through the foundation, ASHRM members can “advance the legacy of ASHRM by funding industry related research, providing scholarships and making educational grants.” Popp previewed the foundation’s first sponsored product, a tool kit titled “Communicating Your Commitment to Patient Safety” to be sent to all members in November. (Details at www.ashrm.org/foundation.)
Interest Networks. ASHRM’s two Interest Networks in Patient Safety and Risk Financing & Claims Administration were implemented with newsletters and dedicated Web pages in 2005. “The Interest Networks are a great example of how collecting the best practices of our membership can benefit everyone,” Popp said.
The Barton Certificate Program. The modules were evaluated by and recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education. “I am extremely proud of the modules program,” Popp said. “But now we have external validation that the content and faculty on par with college-based programs.”
Patient Safety Curriculum. Fully launched after a preview at last year’s conference, the Curriculum represents 18 months of design and development and contains examples of the leading practices in organizations.
Online education. Answering members’ needs for cost- and time-effective education, ASHRM online programs are now available with the initial risk financing course. (See related article below.)
Advocacy. “ASHRM’s advocacy pursuits focus on the patient, the health care risk management profession and public policy consistent with our mission,” Popp said. She characterized the passage of the Patient Safety and Quality Act of 2005 as “a huge accomplishment and a challenge to the profession.” To remind and engage membership in ASHRM advocacy efforts, ASHRM printed its 2005 Advocacy Agenda on a card and sent it to all members.
Publications. ASHRM in 2005 produced a new “Risk Management Pearls for Psychiatric Care Across the Continuum” and began work on second Pearls booklet on disclosure to be released in early 2006.
Partnerships. “We continued our efforts to collaborate with other organizations to bring additional professional development opportunities,” Popp said, referring to work with the American Organization of periOperative Nurses (AORN), American Society for Quality, International Center for Captive Insurance Education and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s 100,000 Lives campaign.
Membership. “ASHRM has grown over the years from being a small organization of individuals to becoming an international society of almost 5,000! This is truly an extraordinary number when you think about the competition for member resources and time,” Popp said. She also welcomed the newest ASHRM chapters in Mississippi, Idaho and Bermuda.
Charter members. “To demonstrate what an incredible commitment we have from the field,” Popp asked any in the audience who had attended every ASHRM annual conference since the first meeting was held on March 17, 1980 in New Orleans to stand. Leading the applause, Popp told them, “Thank you. We know you missed many family and work commitments to be with us.”
“Twenty-five years ago, our charter members embodied that hope in the creation of this society. Now, it is our job as the next generation to look forward to the future and identify ways that we can take the profession to the next level,” Popp said.
Achievers
Popp also thanked the hundreds of volunteers who served on task forces and committees and as educational program faculty during the year. She congratulated all new and renewing CPHRMs – now totaling more than 800 – and recognized Patient Safety Leadership Fellows.
She expressed appreciation for the work of outgoing ASHRM board members Dorothy Berry and Mary Ott as well as Past President Jeff Driver.
Popp gave special recognition for the following awards:
Distinguished Service Award. “The Distinguished Service Award recognizes those among our membership who have created a legacy in a product or service that will continue for future generations of ASHRM members,” Popp said. “This year, it is my great honor to present the 2005 Distinguished Service Award to Joyce Benton. Many of you will recognize Joyce for her active role in teaching the CPHRM study sessions, and others for her various activities at the Atlanta and Georgia state level.”
Fellows and Distinguished Fellows. Recognized for their leadership in ASHRM and the profession were Fellows Lori Chabot, Susan Chmielewski, Mary Lynn Curran, Lisa Havens-Cortes, Carol Kortz, Chaing Sheng Johnny Kuo, Pamela Para, Cindy Shifflet, Keith Simpson, Sandra Underhill, Palma Young and Theresa Zimmerman and Distinguished Fellows Dorothy Berry, Patricia Kearney and June Leigh.
Journal Author Excellence Award. Dr. Diane Sixsmith was honored for her article “Case studies in acute care aortic dissection: strategies to avoid a catastrophic outcome,” Journal of Healthcare Risk Management, Vol. 25, No. 2.
Patient Safety Leadership Fellows Scholarships. Greg Terrell and Maripat Burrell were congratulated for winning ASHRM scholarships to the 2006 Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship.
Make plans for 2006 conference
Next year’s Annual Conference & Exhibition will be held Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the San Diego Convention Center on the harbor in downtown San Diego, CA. A Patient Safety Curriculum session, Barton Certificate in Healthcare Risk Management Program (Applications Module), Preparation Course and an onsite administration of the CPHRM Examination will be held in conjunction with the conference.
Attendee registration will open in May. Prospective exhibitors and sponsors may contact Kristina Galloway for opportunities now at kmgalloway@corcexpo.com or (312) 541-0567.
ASHRM UPDATE
David Meyers, former ASHRM executive director, dies
David Meyers, 54, ASHRM executive director from 1982-1987, died Nov. 7 in Chicago after an aortic aneurysm. Among key accomplishments during his tenure at ASHRM were working with the state of Florida to secure risk management licensure equivalency recognition for FASHRM and DFASHRM recipients who wanted to practice in Florida, organizing ASHRM’s first commercial exhibition hall and elevating ASHRM’s newsletter into the profession’s only peer-reviewed journal. An obituary was published Nov. 12 in the Chicago Tribune. Click here to download a complete obituary that was inserted into the print edition of the ASHRM Forum.
ASHRM, PRIMA plan intensive risk financing course
ASHRM is partnering with the Public Risk Management Association (PRIMA) to present an intensive, cross-functional study of risk financing issues March 28 and 29. The immersive “boot camp” will be geared toward intermediate- and advanced-level health care risk management professionals. The faculty will include ASHRM members Pamela Popp, Patricia Fowler, Sheila Hagg-Rickert, Tom Veale and others. The program will be held at the Hotel Preston in Nashville, TN. Member rates are $225 (by Feb. 17) and $265 (after Feb. 17). For content and registration details, contact Heather Ripley at (703) 253-1261 or hripley@primacentral.org and watch ASHRM’s e-News for updates.
Scholarship offered for Patient Safety Fellows
Sponsors of the Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship are seeking applications for the 2005-2006 program year. Participants in the yearlong program design and implement cost-effective models of health care delivery that advance patient safety and health outcomes. Applications are due Jan. 9, 2006, and Fellows will be selected in February. The Health Research and Educational Trust, Health Forum, AHA and National Patient Safety Foundation sponsor the program in partnership with ASHRM. For details and an application, visit www.healthforumfellowships.com. Additionally, ASHRM members may apply for a scholarship; visit www.ashrm.org (Members Services, Calls / Notices) for scholarship details.
Audio conference tackles psychiatric care challenges
State budget cuts, changes in distribution of mental health services and reduced Medicaid spending have led to inadequate inpatient facilities for psychiatric patients. On Dec. 13, ASHRM will present an audio conference titled “Psychiatric Care Challenges in the Emergency Department” to explore risk management complexities involved in transitioning psychiatric patients into appropriate services. Practical concepts for managing the throughput of psychiatric patients across the continuum as well as meeting regulatory guidelines and recommendations will be presented. Faculty will include Jim Panos, nurse manager/Gero-Psychiatric Unit, Tuality Healthcare, Forest Grove, OR. For program and registration details, and to purchase recordings of the program after Dec. 13, visit www.ashrm.org (Education, Audio Conferences page).
Interest Networks provide specialized information
ASHRM’s new Patient Safety Interest Network and Risk Financing & Claims Administration Interest Network deliver timely content and resources tailored according to risk managers’ primary needs, whether they are focused on patient safety efforts or on traditional risk management issues of risk financing and claims administration. ASHRM members may choose to supplement their regular ASHRM membership with either or both of the ASHRM Interest Networks for an annual membership fee of $25 for each Interest Network. Join by using the ASHRM membership form and selecting the Interest Network options near the bottom. For details, visit www.ashrm.org (Interest Networks page) or contact ashrm@aha.org.
Proposed bylaws are approved
ASHRM members voted online in September to overwhelmingly approve proposed revision to the bylaws. Changes affected membership article section 4.2.1(c), dues article sections 5.1 and 5.2, board of directors article section 9.9.2, committees article sections 12.1 and 12.3, and nominating committee section article 13.2 The bylaws can be found at www.ashrm.org (Information, Governance page).
Adjustments help ensure delivery of e-News
ASHRM’s weekly e-News is a popular benefit of membership and the easiest way to stay up-to-date on risk management news, members-only products and program discounts, information on educational offerings, and more. As long as ASHRM has a current e-mail address (which members can confirm by checking the online Member Directory at www.ashrm.org), e-News is delivered to the e-mail server for that address every Friday.
Increased e-mail security, however, may prevent some members from receiving this service. Members who are not receiving e-News may contact ashrm@aha.org for assistance.
Chapter leaders share best practices and tackle other challenges
More than 60 leaders gathered Oct. 23 in San Antonio, TX, for the 2005 ASHRM Chapter Leadership Workshop. Member and Chapter Relations Task Force co-chairs Curtis Nolen and Dean Matthys facilitated the meeting.
The highlight was an open forum in which chapter presidents and presidents-elect shared best practices for education, volunteerism, recruitment and other chapter challenges. “We wanted to have adequate open forum time so that leaders could discuss issues and share experiences and ideas with each other,” said Nolen, “and I think we met that goal.”
Liz Fragoso, president of the North Texas Society for Healthcare Risk Management, shared her experience revamping the North Texas Web site. The chapter committed financial and time resources to the effort, which was “money well spent, as the Web site would likely be the primary source of information for members.” By working with a vendor’s software and transferring everything to the control of the chapter, she has been able to update the site herself although, as she insisted, “I’m not a programmer.”
Dan Nash, former president of the Chicagoland Healthcare Risk Management Society, presented an overview of D&O insurance, including the pros and cons for large and small chapters. Andrew Oppenberg shared his experiences with unraveling complicated chapter finances as past treasurer of the Southern California Association for Healthcare Risk Management.
ASHRM President Pamela Popp emphasized the importance of the relationship between ASHRM and its affiliated chapters. Executive Director Liz Summy shared highlights of the 2005 chapter leadership survey. Among the particular strengths of chapters revealed in the survey are the abilities to offer local business and networking opportunities as well as state-specific risk management information.
Among the ideas shared during the open forum:
- Chapters can connect with the “next generation” of risk management by forming liaisons with universities, law schools, etc., and creating internships for graduate students.
- Chapters looking for educational topics might focus on legal issues through a law day, or host an ASHRM audio conference for the entire chapter.
- Several chapters have found success with a hospitality chair who is responsible for greeting members and making introductions at meetings.
- Chapters need to balance between the clinical and insurance/legal aspects of profession when presenting programs and services for their members (e.g., consider offering non-clinical risk management topics such as workers’ compensation).
- Getting sponsorship can be as simple as putting together a letter and offering sponsorship of a break, an event or a keynote address at a meeting.
Next year’s workshop will be held Oct. 29 in San Diego.
Bermuda wins 2005 chapter recruitment prize
The Bermuda Society for Healthcare Risk Management is the winner of the 2005 Chapter Recruitment Campaign.
The Bermuda chapter collects the $1,000 prize for recruiting the highest percentage of its existing members – 18 percent – to join ASHRM during the campaign. Peter J. Strong, president of Independent Management Ltd., and treasurer of the Bermuda chapter, accepted the award Oct. 24 at ASHRM’s annual business meeting in San Antonio, TX. In addition, Bermuda received $25 for each chapter member who joined ASHRM. Other participating chapters will also receive $25 for each new ASHRM member from their chapter.
The rebate program will be offered again in 2006. Any chapter member who joins the national organization as a new member from Sept. 1, 2005-July 31, 2006, will earn $25 for his or her chapter. Details of the 2006 program will be posted to www.ashrm.org (Chapters page).
NEW CPHRMS
The Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management designation provides a credential that verifies a broad-based knowledge of risk management. Certification elevates professionals in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
Congratulations to recent CPHRM achievers:
Annette Banchy, Tucson, AZ
Darci McCarthy Bentson, Bozeman, MT
Catherine Bogner, Charlotte, MI
Karen Wilkerson Cagle, Jamestown, NC
Linda J. Coleman, San Diego, CA
Phillip R. Crouch, Kankakee, IL
Bonnie V. Custen, Boca Raton, FL
Cheryl C. Dressler, Low Moor, VA
Nancy Bryan Franklin, Griffin, GA
Michelle Ann Gibson, San Diego, CA
Louise K. Hancock, Lebanon, NH
D. Richelle Heldwein, Pocatello, ID
Barbara Lundgren, Scottsbluff, NE
Lisa H. Moore, Columbus, MS
Randy R. Prentice, Oklahoma City, OK
Daniel E. Price, Northridge, CA
Debra R. Rockman, Houston, TX
Wray J. Ryback, Pomona, CA
Patricia Ann Somers, Flourtown, PA
The CPHRM designation is awarded based on participants meeting eligibility requirements and passing an examination. For details about the designation, download the CPHRM Candidate Handbook from the AHA Certification Center via www.aha.org/certification or call (312) 422-3715.
Application, test appointment can be done online
Online application for the Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management
(CPHRM) credential allows candidates who pay by credit card to apply for the examination and schedule an appointment to test in one visit. This tool may be used for computer-based testing only.
The steps are easy: 1) visit www.goAMP.com, 2) click on “Candidates,” 3) select the “Healthcare” category, 4) select the “AHA Certification Center” program, 5) select the CPHRM examination application, 6) select “Register for Exam," 7) log-in as a new user to create a certification profile, and 8) follow the prompts to enter application information, eligibility and payment information, then schedule the exam.
Preparing for the CPHRM Exam
A new online tool is available for preparing for the CPHRM Exam. Created by the AHA Certification Center (the people who created the exam), the Self-Assessment Exam (SAE) simulates the actual exam in format and content. The test offers rationales for correct and incorrect options, as well as several score reports that highlight the exam topics that they scored well in and those that need improvement. For details about the SAE, contact the AHA Certification Center at (312) 422-3713.
The CPHRM Examination Study Guide (3rd Edition) covers exam content in a flexible format to meet the needs of anyone who has not yet purchased a study guide or does not plan to take a CPHRM Examination Preparation Session. Content was adapted from the Risk Management Handbook for Health Care Organizations (4th Edition). Also, practice tests in the study guide correspond with the CPHRM content outline. The study guide is available for purchase via www.ashrm.org (Members Services, Tools & Products page) or call (800) 242-2626 and request item 178836.
