Can Communication-And-Resolution Programs Achieve Their Potential? Five Key Questions
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2018
Journal Title
Health Affairs
ISSN
1544-5208
DOI
10.1377/hlthaff.2018.0727
Abstract
Communication-and-resolution programs (CRPs) are intended to promote accountability, transparency, and learning after adverse events. In this article we address five key challenges to the programs’ future success: implementation fidelity, the evidence base for CRPs and their link to patient safety, fair compensation of harmed patients, alignment of CRP design with participants’ needs, and public policy on CRPs. While the field has arrived at an understanding of the core communication-and-resolution practices, limited adherence fuels skepticism that programs are meeting the needs of patients and families who have been injured by care or improving patient safety. Adherence to communication-and-resolution practices could be enhanced by adopting measures of CRP quality and implementing programs in a comprehensive, principled, and systematic manner. Of particular importance is offering fair compensation to patients in CRPs and supporting their right to attorney representation. There is evidence that the use of CRPs reduces liability costs, but research on other outcomes is limited. Additional research is especially needed on the links between CRPs and quality and on the programs’ alignment with patients’ and families’ needs. By honoring principles of transparency, quality improvement, and patient and family empowerment, organizations can use their CRPs to help revitalize the medical profession.
First Page
1845
Last Page
1852
Num Pages
8
Volume Number
37
Issue Number
11
Publisher
Project HOPE
Recommended Citation
Thomas H. Gallagher, Michelle M. Mello, William M. Sage, Sigall K. Bell, Timothy B. McDonald & Eric J. Thomas,
Can Communication-And-Resolution Programs Achieve Their Potential? Five Key Questions,
37
Health Affs.
1845
(2018).
Available at:
https://scholarship.law.tamu.edu/facscholar/1594