Role of MIPPA and the Joint Commission
The Medicare Improvement for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) supports States through grants for outreach programs to Medicare beneficiaries. The approved accreditation body that addresses the issue of falls among the elderly is the Joint Commission. The Joint Commission addresses falls by developing and implementing fall risk management policies, framing fall prevention programs, and setting expectations for performance, implementation, and accountability. The commission assesses the risk of falling in an organization as well as the fall risk for every patient (The Joint Commission, 2023). Fall risk for patients is assessed through validated tools such as the Morse Fall Scale. After fall risk assessment, the Joint Commission develops individualized interventions such as using bed rails.
Administrative Roles in Risk Management
The administrative personnel at the executive, middle management, and frontline levels play an important role in upholding healthcare ethics and sustaining employee and employer-focused organizational risk management. At the executive level, administrators set an ethical tone by developing the vision, mission, and values of the organization, establishing risk management guidelines and policies, and promoting an ethical culture (Bhati et al., 2023). Middle management implements procedures and policies, manages departmental risks, creates environments encouraging ethical behavior, and provides necessary employee support. Frontline managers interact directly with employees, enforce ethical standards, address ethical dilemmas in daily operations, serve as role models, and provide feedback on risk management effectiveness.
Ethical Standards, Patient Consent, and Patient Rights
The organization's risk management and compliance programs support ethical standards by identifying and mitigating risks that can compromise confidentiality, privacy, and treatment protocols. Compliance programs ensure adherence to relevant ethical and regulatory guidelines. Risk management programs foster patient and informed consent by providing necessary treatment information and ensuring all consent forms are up-to-date. Additionally, these programs support patient rights and responsibilities through risk identification, mitigation, and ensuring patient rights in all healthcare interactions.
Legal and Ethical Responsibilities of Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals have ethical and legal responsibilities in upholding risk management policies and administering safe healthcare. They have the legal responsibility to report incidents including unsafe conditions and never events (Haddad & Geiger, 2023). Healthcare professionals must comply with laws such as the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA) and provide patients with informed consent. Through the ethical principles of justice, non-maleficence, beneficence, and autonomy, healthcare professionals enhance patient safety, foster transparency, preserve privacy and confidentiality, and advocate for patients' best interests.
Preventing Sentinel Events Through Quality Improvement
Sentinel events refer to occurrences that lead to psychological and physical injuries or death. Healthcare organizations prevent sentinel events through regular risk factor assessments, reviewing and improving existing processes, and conducting regular employee training (Patra & De Jesus, 2023). Successful prevention fosters a culture of safety where everyone is committed to enhancing patient safety and continuous improvement.
Christian Perspective on Human Value and Dignity
The Christian perspective on human value and dignity is based on the belief that everyone is created in God's image. All patients should be treated with respect and are entitled to compassionate care, and their autonomy should be respected in decision-making. Healthcare professionals should ensure that patients' dignity, even in end-of-life situations, is respected. The Christian perspective acknowledges the role of family in enhancing health and calls for healthcare employees to be treated with respect, dignity, and fair wages.
References
- Bhati, D., Deogade, M. S., & Kanyal, D. (2023). Improving patient outcomes through effective hospital administration. Cureus, 15(10). https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10676194/
- Haddad, L. M., & Geiger, R. A. (2023). Nursing ethical considerations. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526054/
- Patra, K. P., & De Jesus, O. (2023). Sentinel event. NCBI. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK564388/
- The Joint Commission. (2023). The Source for Joint Commission Compliance Strategies. https://pages.jointcommission.org/
Related: See our fall prevention risk management program or advance directives and ethics.