This session examines a hospital’s response to a tornado, highlighting key operational challenges, leadership decisions, and emergency management. It explores continuity strategies, regulatory coordination, and financial recovery considerations, while emphasizing employee support and practical preparedness approaches to strengthen future resilience.

Objectives:

• Examine the operational, regulatory, and infrastructure impact of a tornado on a critical access hospital.
• Evaluate emergency activation, HICS implementation, and leadership role clarity during a real-time disaster.
• Identify continuity of operations strategies, including alternate care sites, regional partnerships, and regulatory coordination.
• Recognize the critical role of comprehensive insurance coverage in financial recovery and rebuilding efforts.
• Understand the importance of prioritizing employee support, communication, and psychological safety during prolonged disruption.
• Apply practical risk mitigation and preparedness strategies to strengthen organizational resilience before the next disaster.

This educational session provides healthcare professionals with a deeper understanding of medication error prevention through the lens of patient safety and risk management. Participants will explore the underlying causes of medication-related events and learn proactive strategies to mitigate risk and reduce preventable harm. Through real-world case studies and application of HPI's Safety Event Classification (SEC) methodology, attendees will develop skills to consistently classify events, identify meaningful trends, and utilize safety data to prioritize improvement efforts. The session is designed to equip organizations with practical approaches for transforming event reporting into actionable insights that support sustainable quality and patient safety outcomes.

Objectives:

• Identify and analyze common causes of medication errors
• Explore potential suggestions and solutions to reduce medication errors
• Become aware of trends in claims and occurrences
• Utilize Healthcare Performance Improvement’s (HPI’s) Safety Event Classification (SEC) tool to consistently classify safety events and measure harm using real-world scenarios

Establishing a common language through clearly defined policies, procedures, and protocols is essential for effective collaboration and communication among healthcare teams. When staff operate with a shared understanding of expectations and terminology, care delivery becomes more consistent, efficient, and safe.

These foundational documents also serve as critical guides for managing emergencies and unexpected situations. Well-developed protocols ensure that all team members know how to respond quickly and appropriately, reducing confusion and minimizing risk to patients and providers.

Objectives:

• Create a shared understanding of expectations, terminology, and practices.
• Promote consistent, evidence-based case and reduce practice variation
• Ensure staff can respond quickly and effectively in critical situations