Top five things hospitals should be doing with its medical staff to better manage medical risk.

Imagine that you have been working for the past six months as a mid-level employee with the title of Research Analyst in the national consulting firm of Health Advisors Group, and you are earning much more money than you ever thought possible in a salaried position. A Senior Partner in the firm, Ron Dailey, has taken a liking to you and has informed you that he has been asked to present to the Michigan Hospital Association Annual Meeting. The topic that he has been asked to present on will be entitled: “The Top Five Things Hospitals Should Be Doing with Its Medical Staff to Better Manage Medical Risk,” and Ron has extended to you the extraordinary opportunity to present with him at the MHA Annual Meeting IF you would like to do so and IF you can produce a research paper for his review that outlines what you believe should be presented and IF Ron likes what you have produced. You are currently taking the HSL 631 course, and so you feel that you are up to the challenge and you agree to provide Ron the research paper within two weeks. After discussing this opportunity with Mr. Dailey, you realize that you will need to provide solid information that healthcare executives would respect, because if things go well with your research, you will be co-presenting at an important meeting with your boss in an auditorium filled with hospital CEOs, healthcare Vice-Presidents, Risk Managers, Medical Directors, Nurse Executives and other healthcare leaders. What a great opportunity, but at the same time – gulp! – what a high-pressure challenge! After thinking about it for a bit, you realize that this is a great career-enhancing opportunity, and you will go for a great result with energy and enthusiasm.

Your term paper will take the form of a research paper to Mr. Dailey and you will list, in order of priority, the top five things hospitals should be doing with its medical staff to better manage medical risk. You will cite scholarly journal articles, other credible sources, relevant law, and perhaps even provide a video stream or two. You intend also to provide information that is especially relevant in the state of Michigan, as the audience will be largely from that area. You also will cite an actual reported situation or two where hospitals and medical professionals have had success in controlling medical risk. Finally, being the savvy consultant that you are, you will make a point that even healthcare organizations with an internal risk manager on board should want to engage your firm to provide consultancy to help in the goal of better managing medical risk.