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Managing risk helps hospitalists protect patients, their programs

Hospitalist Leadership Connection, July 11, 2007

As a young specialty, hospital medicine hasn't had the same exposure to malpractice issues that specialties such as obstetrics or neurosurgery have had, according to an article in the July issue of Hospitalist Management Advisor (HMA), published by HCPro, Inc.

However, hospitalists work in the riskiest environment there is in healthcare: hospitals, says Peter Behnke, a broker at Healthcare Risk Specialists, a professional liability insurance brokerage in West Hartford, CT. They care for increasingly ill patients for whom a single mistake can have dire or even deadly consequences.

Hospitalists are a step ahead of other specialists in one regard when it comes to malpractice issues, says Behnke in the article. He notes that the hospitalist business model is built on patient safety and quality of care, two factors that risk managers like to emphasize.

According to Behnke, hospitalist groups can differentiate themselves in the market through risk management, protocols, and processes that help keep patients safe.

To read the full article, go to: www.hcpro.com/content/72328.cfm.

Not yet a subscriber to HMA? To learn more go to: www.hcmarketplace.com/prod-3615.html.

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