Risk management: the clinician's defense against liability

As Stock and LeFroy conclude, a RM program lends structure and direction to management. Consistent delivery of high-quality service requires that hundreds of individuals perform numerous roles with a value-added service orientation. Jan Carlzon, the Director of Scandinavian Airlines and the person responsible for its remarkable turnaround, has the proper perspective: "We don't seek to be one thousand percent better at any one thing. We seek to be one percent better at one thousand things." Risk management is one factor in the development of a service-oriented health care culture that leads to sustained profitability through a stable patient base. The development of a RM program for a private dental office will lay the groundwork for a higher goal; a demonstrable, verifiable quality of care throughout the practice.