Associate Risk Manager

Reviewing incoming reports that assert claims against MD Anderson resources or against an MD Anderson employee, officer, or agent. This includes the review of highly complex claims, with a particular focus on medical malpractice claims, and the following actions:

• Providing leadership, direction, advice, and guidance to healthcare teams and hospital leadership on patient care risk management issues that affect the safety and quality of patient care.

• Conducting reviews of reported claims, incidents, and problems within at least 24 hours of receipt.

• Identifying key information for inclusion into a computerized claims database, and identify a priority rating for each case.

• Where necessary, promptly initiating, completing, or coordinating thorough investigations with the use of written correspondence, telephone communications, and electronic messages, and by traveling to all areas of the campus to inspect site, equipment, or other pertinent materials and then recording findings.

Conducting detailed reviews of records, with a special focus on medical records, and also including billing records, project files, consultant reports, witness statements and other correspondence, and then identifying relevant risk issues and preparing comprehensive, detailed summaries of those items.

• Resolving or participating in resolution of actual or potential risk issues, including:

• Negotiating settlements with the claimant or with the claimant’s representative where authority to do so has been specifically delegated by the Managing Legal Office of Patient Care & Hospital Operations & Litigation.

• Providing appropriate information to MD Anderson’s designated negotiator or legal representative.

• Resolving and assisting to resolve a variety of risk issues, including patient care and billing issues.

• Reporting issues and/or demands to the appropriate individual(s) with authority to resolve them.

Investigating risk issues and clarifying the chronology of events. Also identifying key events, witnesses and/or participants involved in risk issues.

• Develops risk management timelines for litigation cases to assist litigation section attorneys on claims filed against the institution.

Developing, maintaining, and updating physical and electronic files on risk issues.

• Creating and refining data management tools to assist in reporting metrics.

• Filing or designating the retention location of all documents, reports, and correspondence, equipment, photographs, graphs, sketches, notes, or other data maintained in the Associate Risk Manager’s files.

• Periodically (at least every 30 days) reviewing all assigned, open files, monitoring activity and potential for resolution.

Identifying sections of patient medical records to be sent to U.T. Office of General Counsel (OGC) in medical negligence claims and lawsuits, utilizing OGC guidelines.

Preparing reports required by the Safe Medical Device Act for review by the Managing Legal Office of Patient Care & Hospital Operations & Litigation within required time frames.

Assists the Managing Legal Office of Patient Care & Hospital Operations & Litigation as needed by:

• Developing and implementing risk assessments;

• Overseeing and directing the institutional risk management program through strategic and tactical planning.

• Conducting in-service educational presentations throughout MD Anderson; and

• Preparing special reports.

Participate, manage, and attend trainings on the Institutional/ Risk Management on-call schedule.

Participates in providing for 24-hour coverage to assess and document potential liability claims daily, including weekends and holidays.

Leads special projects supporting the overall strategic vision and business operations of the risk management program.

Assesses current trends and forecasts in healthcare risk management through review of relevant literature and educational opportunities.

Actively participates on Institutional 2-STOP committee which includes thorough investigations of threats made against patients and employees.

Independently analyzes and assists in the awareness of accreditation, regulatory, and safety standards to mitigate risk.

Reviews reports submitted through the institutional incident reporting system and collaborates with Performance Improvement on facilities root cause analysis as needed.

Actively assists with the supervision of support staff for the risk management & patient care and healthcare operation section, this includes hiring, orientation, and education of these members.

Assists in institutional policy and procedure development.

• Reviews institutional policies and serves as risk management representative on committees that develop policies and procedures related to safety of patients.

Performing other duties, as needed, to assist the Risk Management and Legal Services departments in providing timely and effective services to a large academic health care institution.