Facing Labor Shortages and Budget Pressures, Healthcare Facilities Need to Optimize Productivity of their Staffs While Reducing Unnecessary Costs
BLUE BELL, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–PMA Companies released a white paper today, “Six Steps to a Safer Workforce: Building Accountability as an Essential Element for Injury Prevention in the Healthcare Industry”, urging healthcare risk managers to make dramatic improvements to safety policies and practices. PMA recommends that healthcare facilities should capitalize on one of the most effective tools for doing so—making employees and their immediate managers accountable for safety.
Authored by Christine Zichello, senior risk control specialist and fellow with the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, and Flo Francis, senior risk control consultant, for PMA Companies, the paper is part of an educational series, PMA Insights. PMA Companies is a healthcare risk management expert, providing risk management solutions and services to more than 800 healthcare facilities.
“Healthcare facilities are facing labor shortages and budgets that are under enormous pressure,” Ms. Zichello said. “Industry providers can optimize the productivity of their staffs while reducing unnecessary costs, with more day-to-day accountability for safety.” Ms. Zichello added that statistically, healthcare is one of America’s most hazardous professions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), healthcare facilities have the highest overall rate of non-fatal injuries and illnesses, 543.4 per 10,000 full-time workers.
In the white paper, Ms. Zichello and Ms. Francis outline six action steps for designing and implementing an effective program of accountability for healthcare facilities.
“Often, healthcare providers may have safety programs in place,” Ms. Francis said. “But they sometimes fall short in elements of program execution that make managers and employees fully accountable for their adherence to the organization’s safety protocols.”
The white paper is available at the PMA Companies booth #515 at the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management 2010 Annual Conference & Exhibition in Tampa or view online at http://bbapnt13.pmagroup.com/Marketing/PMAInsights.nsf/WP?OpenForm&comp=pma.
About the Authors
Christine Zichello, Senior Risk Control Specialist, PMA Companies, capitalizes on her 15 years’ experience in critical care and emergency department nursing to deliver occupational health expertise to PMA’s health care clients. Her focus is protecting employee health and safety, and implementing education and training programs for health care systems. Ms. Zichello is a Registered Nurse, holds the Certified Occupational Health Nurse (COHN-S), Certified Safety & Health Manager (CSHM), and Associate in Risk Management (ARM) designations, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in allied health/management from Montclair State College.
Flo Francis, Senior Risk Control Consultant, PMA Companies, provides comprehensive occupational safety, health and risk control consultation services to PMA’s healthcare clients. For the past 15 years, Ms. Francis has focused on safety, health & environmental issues, as well as risk control, for healthcare workers. She is a Registered Nurse and a Certified Health Care Safety Professional (CHSP).
About the PMA Companies
PMA Companies (www.pmacompanies.com) provides risk management solutions and services, including workers’ compensation and property & casualty insurance, throughout the United States. Headquartered in Blue Bell, PA, PMA Companies is part of Old Republic International’s family of companies. Old Republic International Corporation (NYSE: ORI) is an insurance holding company that is one of the nation’s 50 largest publicly held insurance organizations.
PMA Companies includes the PMA Insurance Group, specializing in workers’ compensation and other commercial property & casualty insurance products; PMA Management Corp. and PMA Management Corp. of New England, providing results-driven risk management services; and Midlands Management Corporation, a managing general agent with a specialty in excess workers’ compensation, program administration and third party administration services.
Contacts
Diane Nafranowicz
PMA Companies
610-397-5136
Diane_Nafranowicz@pmagroup.com
or
Gary Kimball
Kimball Communications
610-559-7585
gkimball@kimballpr.com