AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR HEALTHCARE RISK MANAGEMENT • VOLUME 33, NUMBER 1 1

© 2013 American Society for Healthcare Risk Management of the American Hospital AssociationPublished online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com) • DOI: 10.1002/jhrm.21110

I can answer the above question posed in the title of this issue’s message with a resounding “Yes.” It is both ERM and ERM! Please allow me to translate this “Andyism.” ERM stands for both Enterprise Risk Management and “Everyone is a Risk Manager”—meaning risk crosses all boundaries throughout the health-care enterprise; we all play an important role in keeping patients safe.

The 2013 theme, “Everyone is a Risk Manager,” kicked off in March during National Patient Safety Awareness Week and was the cornerstone of ASHRM’s annual Healthcare Risk Management Week event, June 17–21. ASHRM’s HRM Week campaign included daily ERM tips based on case studies, a complimentary toolkit, interactive quiz, HRM Week prod-ucts, and more. ASHRM also presented an ERM Webinar during HRM week, furthering the message that “Everyone is a Risk Manager” and together we will help reduce preventable serious safety events. HRM Week provided the opportunity for you to reach out to your colleagues across the healthcare enterprise, including those in nontraditional roles; further emphasizing ERM—“Everyone is a Risk Manager.” We hope you embraced HRM Week this year, and enjoyed celebrating our profession.

ERM acknowledges the responsibilities that all healthcare workers hold in the critical area of risk management. A comprehensive, organization-wide framework for risk management includes all healthcare employees—from operations, to clinical, to financial and beyond. Do not forget that the focus of both definitions of ERM is our patients, their families, and signif-icant others. The safety of our patients is top priority—and even they, too, are risk managers by managing their own healthcare risks.

ERM will also be prominent during our 2013 Annual Conference & Exhibition, October 27–30, 2013, in beautiful Austin, Texas. So y’all should mark your calendars for the year’s ultimate ERM “edutainment” extravaganza. Registration is now open! Be sure to sign up early and receive an early bird discount. Your annual conference committee, ASHRM faculty, your board, and the ASHRM staff have worked tirelessly to ensure that every member will get a great deal out of both our past and future educational offerings. Please join me in thanking them all.

Thank you for your continued support of ASHRM and our quest of Getting to ZeroTM through ERM. Looking forward to seeing you this October in Austin!

All the best to you and yours,

2013 ASHRM President

President’s Message

ERM or ERM? That is the question!

Andrew A. Oppenberg, MPH, CPHRM, DFASHRM