New Collaboration Brings Risk Management Education to Healthcare Executives

Four premier organizations combine teaching, research, and practice to bring advanced strategic decision-making and risk management to the healthcare industry.
Stanford, California, October 13, 2010—Four leading education and healthcare organizations announced a new education program to bring world-class practices in strategic decision-making and risk management to healthcare executives and professionals. The Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD), in partnership with Stanford Hospital & Clinics Risk Consulting (SRC), the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management (ASHRM) of the American Hospital Association, and Strategic Decisions Group (SDG), will combine proven theory with real-world applications in this new 2½-day course, “Strategic Decision-Making to Manage Risk in Healthcare Organizations,” which will be offered at Stanford University on March 21-23, 2011.

Program participants will obtain an introduction to and survey of analytical tools plus practical examples of how to apply these tools to risk management decisions. They may take this individual course or continue on to obtain a certificate in Strategic Decision and Risk Management with an emphasis in healthcare. “As healthcare grapples with the urgent challenges posed by the increased cost and complexity of care, alarming demographic trends, and healthcare reform, it is no longer adequate to let healthcare risk management operate in its historical silos of compliance, safety, quality, and claims.” said Jeffrey Driver, chief risk officer of Stanford Hospital and Clinics.

The educational experience will combine presentations by program faculty with in-depth case studies, methodology applications to real risk management examples, shared learnings, and board-level panel discussions on risk management in healthcare. ”Stanford has a proven record of equipping individuals to become leaders at making better strategic decisions and managing risks in their organizations,” said Carl Spetzler, CEO of Strategic Decisions Group. “Working with SRC and ASHRM, we look forward to helping executives and professionals managing risk in healthcare become more effective leaders, better builders of enterprise strategy, and better managers of risk. The challenge is not just to protect value, but also to create value.”

“We are very enthusiastic about working with SCPD, SRC, and SDG to deliver to executives and professionals managing risk in healthcare a Stanford professional education program that will be engaging and relevant,” said Kara Clark, executive director of ASHRM. “We are supporting this effort both with our participation and with educational grants offered to ASHRM members.”

Andy DiPaolo, executive director of the Stanford Center for Professional Development, underscores the value of this collaboration with an invitation, “In joining with SRC, ASHRM, and SDG to deliver this unique education program, the SCPD is pleased to host a free live webinar on November 16, ‘Strategic Risk Management in Healthcare: How to Manage Uncertainty and Make Better Decisions.’”