OR Manager August 2022 - 15

Human Resources
PARS®: Patient Advocacy Reporting System
PARS® provides national, discipline-specific, peer-comparative benchmarks of unsolicited
patient complaints about professionals for effective peer-delivered interventions. PARS®
was established by Vanderbilt's Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy (CPPA).
More than 200 hospitals and medical groups have partnered with CPPA to implement
PARS® tools and processes.
FINDINGS:
➤ 5% of professionals are associated with 35% of unsolicited complaints and 50% of
claims dollars.
➤ 35-50% of professionals are associated with no unsolicited complaints and 4% of
claims dollars.
CORS: Co-Worker Observation Reporting System
CORSsm is an effective tool and process to identify and intervene with professionals at
risk for suboptimal outcomes of care associated with co-worker reports of unprofessional
behavior. PARS® and CORS have a database of approximately 93,000 physicians and
advanced practice professionals.
FINDINGS:
➤ 3% of professionals are associated with 44% of reports of unprofessional behavior.
➤ 85-90% of professionals are associated with no reports.
Resources
PARS® partnerships: https://www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/parsprocess-infographic
PARS®
findings: https://www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/parsprogram
CORSsm:
https://www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/cors-program
sociated with having malpractice claims.
These negative behaviors included
snapping at others when frustrated,
talking down to others, not considering
suggestions, and not paying attention.
" The findings suggest
that everyday
negative conduct by surgeons
toward their colleagues
can have real
implications for care,
even when surgeons
are highly skilled technically, "
says lead author
Janaka Lagoo, MD,
Janaka
Lagoo, MD,
MPH
MPH. And although there were ratings
from peers, staff, and supervisors, it
was the peer ratings, the study found,
that had the highest correlation with
malpractice claims.
tinue to focus on encouraging respectful
and effective communication with other
team members. "
Malpractice, turnover, and lost
revenue
A climate in which hospital staff feel unable
to share their concerns and flag unprofessional
behavior also has serious
financial consequences for institutions.
" Unsolicited patient complaints are
an excellent predictor for future malpractice
risk, " said Webb during his presentation,
noting that they have been
working with patient complaints to reduce
malpractice risk for about 25 years
at Vanderbilt. Across the country, the
www.ormanager.com
cost of medical malpractice is $55.6
billion a year, which includes " defensive
medicine " costs, or the costs of tests
or treatments given to patients solely to
avoid lawsuits.
A 2019 study in Annals of Surgery
looked at 264 cardiac, thoracic, vascular,
plastic, orthopedic, and general
surgeons at four academic medical centers.
Measuring the ratings for surgeons
on qualities such as education style,
humility, respectfulness, and teamwork
against malpractice claims, the study
found that eight of 14 positive behaviors
were significantly associated with
not having malpractice claims, while
four of nine negative behaviors were as " We
believe that peers are uniquely
positioned to observe and analyze the
behavior and performance of their colleagues,
as they have undergone similar
training, understand the unique daily
challenges of their profession, interact
with similar healthcare staff, and
likely have patients with similar health
needs, " wrote the study authors.
In addition to malpractice suits, hospitals
contending with staff turnover
bear a major financial cost. Nurse turnover
is particularly a major concern and
one directly tied to workplace culture.
Across the country, the turnover rate for
bedside nurses is 17.2%, and 43% of
new nurses leave their positions within
3 years. For each nurse who leaves, a
hospital loses between $36,000 and
$57,000-representing millions of dollars
each year.
According to one study, said Webb,
" of those individuals who leave with exit
interviews, 40% say they left because of
the culture and exposure to unprofessional
behavior. "
Webb noted in his presentation that
not only are peers essential in reporting
unprofessional behavior, but they can
be the most effective allies in correctContinued
on page 17
OR Manager | August 2021 15

https://www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/pars-process-infographic https://www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/pars-program https://www.vumc.org/patient-professional-advocacy/cors-program http://www.ormanager.com

OR Manager August 2022

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