According to Health Care Risk Management standards supported by ASHRM and the American Hospital Association Certification Center, periodic review of policies and procedures is essential to ensure alignment with current laws, regulatory standards, accreditation requirements, and best practices. Reviewing policies helps ensure consistency between written procedures and actual clinical practice, thereby reducing liability exposure.
Policy review also supports identification of potential risk exposures by detecting outdated language, conflicting guidance, or gaps in processes that could lead to adverse events. Additionally, monitoring compliance with standards-such as federal regulations, state statutes, and accreditation requirements-is a central purpose of policy review, ensuring that organizational practices meet required benchmarks.
Maintaining staff competency, however, is primarily addressed through education, training programs, credentialing, and performance evaluation processes. While policies provide guidance for staff conduct, competency assessment is not the primary objective of policy review itself.
Health Care Operations objectives emphasize governance oversight, regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation through clear, current policies. Therefore, maintaining staff competency is not a direct reason for performing risk management review of policies and procedures, making it the correct exception.