Company Profile

FAQs

What does RMF Strategies do?

RMF Strategies provides unparalleled evidence-based risk management services and software solutions to healthcare systems and medical malpractice insurers, as part of an integrated strategy that uses both qualitative and quantitative data to focus patient safety initiatives.

What is unique about RMF Strategies?

RMF Strategies bridges clinical care and risk management with over 25 years of malpractice claims data as evidence to develop software solutions and services, which the nation’s leading medical institutions use to prevent loss and effectively manage litigation.

What are the benefits of RMF Strategies solutions?

Safer care in a lower risk environment. RMF Strategies solutions and services prevent loss and lower the cost of risk, and support the development and use of best practices in the health care, legal, and malpractice insurance industries.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRICO/RMF AND RMF STRATEGIES?

RMF Strategies is an operating division of CRICO/RMF. Since 1976, CRICO/RMF, has been the medical malpractice company owned by and serving the Harvard medical community. Our data-driven approach to claims management and patient safety is the unique outcome of years of service to our members. Recently, we’re reached beyond the borders or our own community to create new partnerships among physicians, healthcares systems, and their medical malpractice insurers, using what works: comparing analysis of claims data, sharing effective patient safety practice, and promoting dialogue among a national community of peers.

Who are the RMF Strategies customers?

RMF Strategies customers include a number of health care captives, large self-insured academic institutions, and health care systems, as well as commercial insurers. RMF Strategies serves more than 36,900 physicians, 497 hospitals, and 2,400 subsidiary corporations in 40 states and also serves the international community through an alliance with Harvard Medical International.

What is evidence-based risk management?

Evidence-based risk management has been defined as an approach or method which relies on the analysis and use of data, activities, and processes to enable change, to improve and manage risk in the practice of health care. It starts with building a strong base of evidence from practice evaluations, events and liability claims, organizing and encoding those data to highlight clinical and system factors then analyzes this evidence to develop baseline information, identify targets of opportunity, focus resources and support change.

How is the information used to develop best practices?

The information is used in concert with information from other sources, including industry benchmarks, to help investigate better practices and build action plans for working with the health care institutions. These clinical partnerships produce standards, guidelines and norms for improved processes. Finally, the evidence is used in ongoing process improvement and change management programs to gain sustained adoption of new tools and practices.

What is the link between evidence, risk management, and improved patient outcomes?

The RMF Strategies approach begins by building and examining a strong base of evidence from practice evaluations, events and liability claims. This evidence is then organized and coded to highlight clinical and system causes. The evidence is then analyzed to develop baseline information, identify weaknesses in the system, and establish targets upon which to focus resources and improve patient outcomes.

What is the evidence compared with?

The information is compared using CBS, a comparative national database to create better practices and to build action plans for the institution. This clinical partnership produces standards, guidelines and norms for improving processes. Finally, the evidence is used in ongoing process improvements and change management programs to sustain adoption and use of improved tools and practices—ultimately improving patient outcomes.

What specific tools can RMF Strategies provide to health care organizations?

RMF Strategies offers knowledge management solutions to address the problem of patient safety and manage the growing cost of risk. The RMF Strategies Product Suite® of information systems is used by health systems, hospitals, and malpractice insurers nationwide to manage risk operations in their businesses. The Decision Support Suite is a collection of Web-based tools that can focus your efforts on the highest return and highest value risk areas by expanding your capabilities in comparative benchmarking, report writing, and malpractice trends analysis. Health care organizations—large and small—have much to gain by participating in a national community that leverages the power of real data to benchmark performance, effect patient safety and drive organizational change.

What is the number one stumbling block within hospitals to improving patient safety and reducing risk?

In most hospitals, there is a communication gap between the clinical staff and legal staff. Medical errors occur on the clinical side, and the legal staff deals with the litigation. RMF Strategies, through its database systems and risk management programs builds a bridge between these two departments that is critical if best practices designed to reduce malpractice exposure and medical errors are to be established and followed. Right now, the knowledge gained from malpractice litigation is not being passed on to and followed-through with medical staff in hospitals, so that the risk of committing the same errors continue to be high.

How can RMF Strategies help healthcare organizations fundamentally lower the cost of risk, reduce medical errors and malpractice premiums?

RMF Strategies data analysis can identify weaknesses in clinical systems that can lead to medical error and malpractice suits. A lowering of medical error will lower malpractice premiums dramatically, and will lower the overall direct and indirect costs of risk.