More lessons learned from disasters
A high-profile incident always will leave you with risk management lessons to be learned, say Deana Allen, director of corporate risk services at Georgia Baptist Medical Center, and Sam Bishop, ARM, director of risk management for Promina Northwest Health System, both in Atlanta.
Allen and Bishop offer these additional lessons from their own experiences:
• Prepare to set aside time for law enforcement authorities.
Particularly when the incident involves a crime, such as the Olympic bombing, law enforcement will need to gather information on the victims. At Georgia Baptist, employees adhered well to the rule that such information must be authorized by Allen’s office. She was pleased to see that the employees did not provide the information themselves even in the face of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, who can be intimidating even when they’re trying to be nice. Allen had to set aside time to talk periodically with four different FBI agents.
As far as what to release to the authorities, Allen says there was little concern. When the FBI asks, you provide. The hospital did not release the names of the victims to the media, however.
• As much as possible, let other authorities provide information.
The more the law enforcement authorities are involved, the more you should refer questions to them. Not only does that deflect inquiries, but it also helps ensure you do not release confidential information. In some investigations, authorities prefer that even seemingly innocuous information not be made public.
• Be sure to control all hospital entrances.
Kennestone Hospital made the mistake of focusing almost all security on the emergency department and main hospital entrances. That left other entrances open to crafty reporters.
• Protect the privacy of all patients, not just the high-profile ones.
Naturally, you may focus much of your attention on protecting the privacy of the "target patient" everyone is seeking. In doing so, you run the risk of neglecting the privacy of your other patients. If a photographer is shooting scenes at the emergency entrance or in the hallways, other patients may inadvertently be photographed and their privacy invaded. Think of your job as securing the entire facility, not just particular patients.
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