How Quality plus solutions can support you

It is widely held that an independent consultant is the best resource to use in to assess program risk. A  comprehensive risk assessment by an independent party, in every functional area of your organization, will provide current benchmarks for your organization's quality of care, patient safety, and risk exposure. It will identify areas of quality of care, patient safety, and risk management that need improvement. In addition, the assessment will provide you with best practice solutions to resolve your issues and also provide you with available resource information related to the problems identified. In order to ensure continuous quality of services, patient safety, and risk mitigation, a comprehensive risk assessment is recommended every two years. Quality Plus Solutions LLC is the leading professional firm in conducting behavioral health risk assessments of organizations throughout the United States. The assessment process is professionally planned, organized, and carried out to meet your specific organizational needs based on your specified scope of service. A comprehensive risk assessment includes:

• Organization's commitment to quality, adherence to best practice standards, and degree of risk aversion;
• Identification of risk exposures in the treatment environment based on a tour of the setting;
• Review of methods used to report incidents, identify  sentinel events, and to monitor and track quality care, patient safety, and risk;
• Review of methodology used in communication and chain of command
• Review of orientation, staff competencies, and staff development program;
• Review of current policies and procedures and compliance with standards of care; 
• Review of  quality, safety, and risk management processes;
• Review of the results of the latest Joint Commission, CARF, or Medicaid/Medicaid review or survey;
• Interviews with executive clinical and administrative team, nurse educator, direct care staff, social services, program directors, attending staff physicians, pharmacist, and security personnel;
• Review of practices related to high risk clinical presentations: suicide, restraint/seclusion, elopement, AMA, aggression, contraband, etc;
• And medical records review.

The organization is provided with a comprehensive report that includes risk areas, findings, and recommendations.

Violence in healthcare is higher than any other industry and mainly consists of Type II events - patient to staff violence. Organizations must be proactive in preventing aggression which can escalate to a more serious level and result in harm to staff. Healthcare institutions should prioritize a safe work environment for staff as serious harm can result from the long term impact of consistent abuse by those patients we serve. A workplace violence risk assessment includes:

• A review of the current culture of intolerance for aggression and violence within the organization;
• Review of the workplace violence policy, plans, and prevention strategies currently in place;
• Meetings with key stakeholders to include executive leaders, managers, employee health, direct care staff, and security;
• Tour of the environment of care;
• Review of policies related to the care of aggressive patients;
• And review of data related to workplace violence.  

The organization is provided with a comprehensive report that includes risk areas, findings, and recommendations.

Expert witnesses are a challenge to locate for difficult and often, very sensitive legal cases.  QPS provides legal case review and expert witness services for behavioral health care and substance abuse malpractice cases for major law firms throughout the United States.  We have highly credentialed and experienced experts in this field who routinely work with attorneys to resolve legal disputes. 

QPS Consultants can provide seminars and training programs on several topics that can enhance the knowledge base of leaders and direct care staff. These topics include (but are not limited to): 

• Behavioral Health Patient Safety
• Patient to Staff Violence 
• Management of Aggression/Violence in Healthcare
• Behavioral Health Care Risk Management in Non-Behavioral Health Settings
• Suicide Assessment and Management
• Contraband/Elopement Prevention
• Restraint & Seclusion
• Substance Use Patient Risks

QPS has provided excellent seminars and webinars for many groups that include:

* Liability Insurers

* American Hospital Association State Groups

* American Society for Healthcare Risk Management   

   and State Chapters

* National Association for Healthcare Quality and State 

   Associations

* Emergency Nurses Associations

* Nurse Executive Groups

* Patient Safety Groups

* Healthcare Organizations throughout the Nation