The answer to your question is the age-old response, “it depends.”  Determining which method to use when completing quarterly risk management assessments and action plans from scratch depends on a variety of factors that are unique to an individual health center. Some health centers choose to have their QI/QA committee generate quarterly risk management assessments topics.  In other cases, using a root cause analysis based on past malpractice claims and/or allegations may be the best method to use.  

Using the “Leadership walk through” approach represents yet another method that can be used to generate quarterly risk assessment topic areas. This methodology requires a leader to walk through and have informal conversations with staff to gain their input regarding patient safety concerns. This methodology may include discussions across multiple satellite sites.  Having rotating discussions potentially allows for site specific assessment and action plan follow up.  

Establishing departmental and/or provider focus groups is another methodology option.  With this approach you could simply have a targeted focus group discussion with departmental representatives or with actual providers.  Using a focus group approach will require targeting which provider type to include in the discussion and taking the necessary steps to maintain staffing levels during the group’s discussion time. Focus groups are an effective way to build stronger, more engaging relationships between staff and leadership.     

There is also the option of establishing an employee risk management task group that works with leadership to identify the targeted risk management focus topics.  Using this approach helps to build an organizational culture that supports FTCA risk mitigation.   Choosing the methodology that is best for your health center involves careful planning and should be viewed as a creative fact-finding mission.  If you decide to use a focus group approach to identifying your quarterly risk assessment topics…don’t forget to throw in a pizza!