Clinical Risk Management Services

Provided on behalf of HRSA

Address your top risk management issues:

  • Credentialing and privileging
  • Quality improvement
  • Delayed diagnosis—including test results reporting and tracking, email, physician-to-physician communication, and patient education
  • Special patient concerns—diabetes, substance use disorder, and obstetrics
  • Infection control

These issues and many others are addressed in a clinical risk management program being provided to Section 330-funded federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), free clinics, FQHC Look-Alikes, and Primary Care Associations at NO COST on behalf of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

In this program you have access to Continuing Medical Education (CME) courses, newsletters, and web-based resources to help you save time and reduce risk in your health centers. In addition, you are invited to participate in free webinars; these events provide information on important risk management topics.

What You Get as a User

Access evidence-based reviews of patient safety and risk management issues, self-assessment tools, standards and guidelines, and e-newsletters covering current topics in patient safety and risk management. Learn about common risks to patient care and safety through online courses, webinars, and virtual conferences.

Key features of the risk management website include:

  • Risk management courses for health center and free clinic staff with Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits at no cost to healthcare providers
  • Online fetal heart monitoring training with 3 one-hour instructional courses and additional one-hour case studies, available for CME or CNE credit
  • The Ambulatory Care Risk Management Certificate program, 15 online courses designed to give staff a foundational understanding of risk management and patient safety principles and strategies
  • Links to archived webinars to supplement evidence-based risk management training
  • Guidance articles, self-assessment tools, ready-made training materials on patient safety, quality, and risk management for the health center/free clinic setting
  • Risk & Safety E-news sent via e-mail every other week for interested health center and free clinic staff
  • Assessment checklists sent via e-mail every month on topics such as behavioral health and assessing clinical competence
  • Toolkits on topics such as credentialing, quality improvement, test tracking, event reporting, and a sample risk management plan with step-by-step guides to implement these key programs
  • Sample policies and tools library for templates and examples

Important Questions about Risk Management

Why is a risk management program important?
With a risk management program, you can:

  • Promote safe and effective patient care practices
  • Maintain a safe working environment
  • Protect your health center's financial resources

Why should I take the time for a risk management program?
An effective program can help you:

  • Identify and mitigate liability exposures such as: obstetrics, decision-making surrounding diagnoses, communicating test results, and hand-offs
  • Prevent and reduce the severity of adverse events
  • Improve the patients' experience of care
  • Increase provider and staff satisfaction

What value will my health center get from a risk management program?
Your health center can:

  • Secure organizational commitment to improvement
  • Review patient injuries and near misses to prevent future occurrence
  • Promote system improvement and liability reduction
  • Encourage open communication regarding patient adverse outcomes
  • Improve the reliability of patient care processes
  • Establish a culture of safety—one that is fair-minded but holds individuals accountable

Why use risk management resources from ECRI Institute?
ECRI Institute:

  • Has helped thousands of healthcare providers save time and improve patient safety with Continuing Medical Education courses, policy templates, self-assessment questionnaires, training PowerPoint presentations, and more
  • Is a Collaborating Center of the World Health Organization, an Evidence-Based Practice Center designated by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and a Federally Certified Patient Safety Organization
  • Provides resources for the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and the state hospital associations for Florida, Ohio, and others

Need Help?

Contact us at Clinical_RM_Program@ecri.org or call (610) 825-6000, ext. 5200.