Assessing the impact of hospital mergers and acquisitions on safety culture with proactive risk assessments
Folcarelli P, Hoffman J, Janes M, et al. Assessing the impact of hospital mergers and acquisitions on safety culture with proactive risk assessments. J Healthc Risk Manag. 2023;43(1):26-31. doi:10.1002/jhrm.21537.
Hospital mergers may improve some safety outcomes but also present challenges. This commentary describes how a third-party proactive risk assessment, ideally prior to the merger, can identify strengths and weaknesses of the organizations' safety cultures. The article describes an insurer-directed assessment, but other resources are also available, such as from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement National Action Plan.