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By Jeffrey Driver, JD, MBA, DFASHRM

Writing this message is one of my last official duties as president of ASHRM. I want to thank each and every oneof our members and supporters for all they do for ASHRM

year after year and for bestowing upon me the honor of representingour very diverse group of risk management professionals who servepatients around the world.

All year long, I have written in this column on our progresstoward the various aspects of ASHRM’s three-prong strategy to furtherour shared vision of safe and trusted health care – professionaldevelopment, advocacy and representation and organizationaldevelopment. As ASHRM turns the corner on a quarter-century ofservice, it is rewarding to learn from the path we have followedand project and plan for the pathway of the future. President-electPamela Popp and your 2005 board of directors will endeavor to doboth in the coming year, and we all look forward with excitementand anticipation to meeting again for our silver celebration Oct. 23-26 in San Antonio.

Every manager of risk follows a different career pathway. Minebegan as a teenager working as an orderly in an emergency roomand I witnessed the life of a young boy pass when pediatric resusci-tation equipment was unavailable or nearby. From there, I becamea pediatric respiratory therapist. After witnessing several preventableaccidents, I learned of ASHRM. I joined as a member and startedmy journey to becoming a health care risk manager and dedicating my professional life to preventing medical accidents.

We all have stories of what has driven us into this profession,and our career pathways are as diverse as the ASHRM membershipitself. One thing is for certain, however – all managers of risk caredeeply and are constantly moving toward our shared vision of safeand trusted health care.

The contributions that each of you make every day to managingrisk and making health care as safe as possible is making a veryreal difference. You are an inspiration to our many colleagues inother health care professions and I have seen the respect for yourefforts gain ever-increasing admiration.

As you continue your journey on your personal and professionalpathways, I can assure you that ASHRM will be with you every step ofthe way, providing effective and innovative risk management strategiesand professional leadership through education, recognition, advocacy,publications, networking and interactions with leading health careorganizations and government agencies.

I am very proud of ASHRM, to be a part of its rich history andmost of all I am very proud of you!

All the best,

Jeffrey Driver2004 President

President’s MessageDiverse pathways, shared vision for the future

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SAFE & TRUSTED HEALTH CARE

2 A S H R M J O U R N A L 2 0 0 4 V V O L . 2 4 N O . 4

2004 ASHRM OFFICERSPresident

Jeffrey Driver, JD, MBA, DFASHRMChief Risk Officer & Director

of Risk ManagementStanford University Medical Center

Stanford, CA

Past-presidentJane J. McCaffrey, DFASHRM, MHSADirector, Safety and Risk Management

Self Regional HospitalGreenwood, SC

President-electPamela L Popp, MA, JD,

DFASHRM, CPHRMVice President, Healthcare PracticeMcQueary Henry Bowles Troy, LLP

Dallas

ASHRM DIRECTORSJoyce Benton, MSA, ARM, CPHRM

Risk Control Consulting DirectorCNA HealthPro

McDonough, GA

Dorothy J. Berry, RN, BSN, HRM,CPHRM

Vice President, Clinical Risk Management

ERCArlington Heights, IL

Douglas J. Borg, MHA, ARMDirector, Medical Center

Risk ManagementDuke Health System

Durham, NC

June Leigh, RN, BSN, MS, ARMDirector, Risk Management Services

CNA HealthProChicago

Mary R. Marta, MSN, Esq.Counsel

Erickson Continuing Care RetirementCommunitiesBaltimore

Mary Ott, RN, MS, FASHRM, CPHRMDirector, Risk Management

Sisters of Mercy Health SystemSt. Louis, MO

Sherrill Peters, RN, ARM, CPHRMDirector, Clinical Risk Management

Community Health SystemsBrentwood, TN

ASHRM STAFFElizabeth SummyExecutive Director

Grecelda BuchananAdministrative Assistant

Sara GiannouliasManager, Meetings and Exhibits

Shannon Long GrevasAdministrative Assistant

Nancy NeffProject Specialist,

Chapter and Member Services

Pamela ParaDirector, Professional and Technical

Services

Joe PixlerManager, Communication and

Publications

Kimberly WilliamsAdministrative Assistant

ASHRM BOARD & STAFF

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ABOUT ASHRM

The American Society for Healthcare Risk Management is a personalmembership group of the American Hospital Association with morethan 4,400 members representing health care, insurance, law andother related professions. ASHRM promotes effective and innovativerisk management strategies and professional leadership througheducation, recognition, advocacy, publications, networking andinteractions with leading health care organizations and governmentagencies. ASHRM initiatives focus on developing and implementingsafe and effective patient care practices, the preservation of financialresources and the maintenance of safe working environments.

VISION

Safe and trusted health care

MISSION STATEMENT

To advance safe and trusted patient-centered health care delivery, ASHRM

promotes proactive and innovativemanagement of organization-wide risk.

ABOUT THE JOURNAL

The Journal of Healthcare Risk Management is published quarterlyby the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of theAmerican Hospital Association. The purpose of the Journal is topublish research, trends and new developments in the field ofhealth care risk management. Every Winter issue includes a fullindex of articles published during the previous calendar year.Articles also are archived for members at www.ashrm.org.

Annual subscriptions for non-members are $80, and may beordered at (312) 422-3980. Requests for information on advertisingshould be directed to (312) 422-3980.

The society invites individuals to submit manuscripts to be considered for publication. Topic areas include (but are not limitedto) quality assurance, professional liability claims management, lossprevention, patient safety, risk management program development,workers’ compensation, and risk management-related legislationand legal issues.

Original manuscripts must be submitted exclusively to the Journalof Healthcare Risk Management. They must be typed, double-spacedand should not exceed 10 pages. All material submitted to the Journalis subject to review by the Editorial Review Board. A copy of thecomplete editorial policy is available upon request from the societyand at www.ashrm.org. Those manuscripts accepted for publicationwill be edited according to AHA style and standards. Authors shouldinclude with each article a brief biographical statement that includestitle, area of specialization and current affiliation.

No part of this Journal may be reproduced in any form withoutthe express written permission of the publisher. Fax all reprintrequests to ASHRM at (312) 422-4580.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritativeinformation in regard to the subject matters covered. Neither thepublisher nor the authors are engaged in rendering legal, accountingor other professional service. If legal or other expert assistance isrequired, the services of a competent professional should be sought.The views expressed in this publication are strictly those of theauthors and do not necessarily represent official positions of theAmerican Hospital Association.

The Journal of Healthcare Risk Management welcomes letters.Please direct them to:

ASHRMAttn: Joe PixlerOne North FranklinChicago, IL 60606Telephone: (312) 422-3987Fax: (312) 422-4580E-mail: jpixler@aha.org

Copyright 2004 by the American Hospital Association.

All rights reserved.

ISSN 1074-4797