August 2012 Newsletter 
President's Report
Hello CHRMS Membership:
Let me start by extending a sincere appreciation to the past CHRMS Board, Sponsors and Members for the endless efforts, support and interest in the organization. The newly elected 2012-2013 CHRMS Board is in place, embracing their positions and another CHRMS year has begun. It will be an honor and pleasure for me to serve as your president.
I think it goes without saying that the role of our members exceeds all others. This organization is for you and about you. We all participate in various roles in healthcare risk management, yet we have the same goal, the provision of “safe and trusted healthcare.”
As I think about the development of a road map that will take us to CHRMS 2013-2014:
- Membership Retention & Recruitment – Please remember to renew your CHRMS membership and if you know an individual interested in healthcare risk management, introduce them to this great organization. Save the date for the CHRMS Networking/Membership Drive to be held on August 22, 2012. Join us as we set sail from the Michigan Avenue Dock to enjoy an evening on Chicago’s First Lady. As in the past, admission is free to current 2012-2013 CHRMS members and $50 for new members (covers dues).
- Expansion of our Great CHRMS Website that is the best CHRMS communication tool available. Perhaps you have some time and talent to funnel to the Communication Committee. We are always looking for ideas to facilitate website expansion. www.chrmschicago.org
- Speaking of Communication, YOUR PARTICIPATION, involvement and valuable Membership Feedback is the key to success. We encourage members to think about areas of interest and to join a committee. Please contact CHRMS through the website. Someone will gladly respond to you and answer your questions.
- Lastly, Remaining Financially Strong – CHRMS is fortunate to have excellent sponsors that allow us to provide services and educational programs. Very soon, Sponsors will be contacted and asked to continue their support. Please feel free to contact me directly with potential sponsors.
Please Note: If you, or a colleague, are not receiving CHRMS messages could they be landing in a SPAM file? You may need to check with your IS department to be certain CHRMS info is coming your way.
Please feel free to contact me directly if I can be of assistance to you. Lastly, I hope each and every one of you are enjoying the summer months! J
Sincerely,
Martha Winter, CHRMS President
Featured Spotlight Member
Christine Clark
Director, Risk Management
West Suburban Medical Center
Member since 1996
1) How did you get into healthcare?
“I have always wanted to work in healthcare. Growing up I was the one carving up the turkey heart at Thanksgiving. I loved the blood and guts part of the job. I earned a medical technologist degree as an undergrad and started at Michael Reese. I worked as a paramedic before and during law school at Loyola, and have worked at several excellent jobs before landing at West Suburban.”
2) What is the best part of your job?
“I love the variety of what I do. Every day is something new. My job allows me to teach and interact with people. I especially like the problem solving aspects of my job. I am a life-long learner and the challenges of monitoring different situations while trying to come up with innovative solutions allows me to learn something new constantly.”
3) Is there anything particularly exciting going on in your life right now?
“I recently became a Distinguished Fellow of the American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. I had the application on my desk for years and when I finally picked it up and started to fill it out I realized I had met almost all of the qualifications. I finished up the last parts and received notification this summer.”
4) Have you worked on any committees during your time at CHRMS?
“I have been on the board, served as Treasurer, and was Program Committee Chair for several years. I have really enjoyed the excellent educational opportunities the CHRMS programs have provided”.
5) What has been your favorite part of being a member of CHRMS?
“Besides the great educational opportunities, the best part of CHRMS is meeting people and becoming friends with them. It’s not just a networking opportunity where everyone is trying to get business. I have made real connections with the people I have met at CHRMS and genuinely enjoy spending time with them.”
6) How do you think other members could get more out of being a member of CHRMS?
“People need to get involved. Join a committee, go to the programs. The more you volunteer the more people you meet and the better your experience will be.”
7) Anything most people do not know about you?
“I was on Bozo Circus when I was in 6th grade. My mom applied for the tickets when I was 5. It took six years for them to arrive. Bozo was on vacation so I got to lead the Grand March at the end of the show.”
Upcoming Events
| 2012 Networking Event - Chicago's Leading Lady Boat Cruise |
| August 22, 2012 6:30 PM - 10:00 PM |
| Chicago's Leading Lady Michigan and Wacker Chicago, IL |
| 2012 Boat Cruise Networking Event |
|
$0.00 Member Ticket (Free for members who have paid this year's dues) $50.00 Guest Ticket - purchase of this ticket with obtain you a 1-year membership to CHRMS |
Come out and join your friends and colleagues for a cruise on Chicago's Leading Lady! This year we have a brand new boat and brand new members for you to meet! Enjoy cocktails (full bar) and refreshments (Harry Caray's catering) while cruising the Chicago River and our beautiful lakefront.
Date: Wedesday, August 22, 2012
Time: 6:30pm boarding, 7:00pm boat leaves dock. Please plan to arrive early. Similar to last year, we will dock the boat at 9:00pm for those who would like to leave early. For others, the bar will be open until 10:00pm.
Location: Dock is located at corner of Michigan and Wacker, Southeast corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge.
Fees: Current CHRMS Members: Admission is FREE! Guests: $50.00 per person.
New Members: Charge is $50.00 in advance, which covers your CHRMS membership dues.
Payment is not accepted at the door. Please apply and register on-line or send Membership Applications and fees to:
Matt Downs
IronHealth
300 S. Wacker Drive
7th Floor
Chicago, IL 60606
Feature Article
Jurors in Illinois Permitted to Submit Written Questions to Witnesses Starting July 1, 2012
By Carmel Cosgrave, SmithAmundsen LLC
On July 1, 2012, Supreme Court Rule 243 goes into effect allowing trial judges discretion to permit jurors in civil cases to submit written questions directed to witnesses. Illinois joins the majority of state courts and federal circuits which allow jurors to submit questions to witnesses during trial.
The new rule is permissive and not mandatory. The trial court will have considerable discretion in deciding whether any questions will be allowable, and, if so, what specific questions are allowed. Jurors may not discuss among themselves the questions submitted. They are not required to submit any questions, and are not limited to the number of questions they can submit for a witness. Questions may be submitted following the conclusion of questioning by counsel. Questions, if allowable, are submitted on a witness-by-witness basis. The bailiff will collect any questions and present them to the judge. Questions will be marked as exhibits and made part of the record.
Counsel is given an opportunity to read and object to all written questions outside the presence of the jury. The court rules on any objections and will rule on whether to admit, modify or exclude the submitted question(s). If the question is admitted, the court will read the question and instruct the witness to answer only the question presented. Counsel shall have an opportunity to ask follow-up questions limited to the scope of the new testimony. The jury will be instructed to not concern themselves with the reasons that a question is excluded or modified.
Supreme Court Rule 243 is likely an outgrowth of the ABA American Jury Project. In 2005, the project published jury principles entitled, “Principles for Juries and Jury Trials.” These principles formed the basis for the Seventh Circuit American Jury Project. The Seventh Circuit, over two phases, from October 2005 to April 2006, and from February 2007 through April 2008, tested concepts arising from the ABA Principles. The concept of Questions by the Jury During Trial was tested in both phases. The Commission responsible for the Seventh Circuit project published its final report in 2008. Jurors, judges and attorneys were all in agreement that juror questions during trial enhanced the juror’s understanding of the evidence, and did not reduce the efficiency of the trial. Approximately 88% of the questions submitted by jurors during trial were permitted by the court, after conferring with counsel.
Trial counsel, unfamiliar with the process, may instinctively object to the concept of anyone, whether judge or juror, asking questions during trial. In complex cases, theories and strategies are formed and vetted, sometimes months before the trial. A juror’s question may inadvertently upset a carefully planned examination. Yet, ultimately it is trial counsel’s job to persuade the jury based on the evidence of the case. A juror, whose understanding of the evidence has been improved by the opportunity to ask the witness a question, may or may not be more easily persuaded by counsel’s argument. And, therein lies the rub.
On the other hand, a juror’s written question, whether ultimately asked of the witness or not, gives trial counsel an invaluable glimpse into the juror’s thought process. The juror’s question may lay bare some previously overlooked weakness in the case, and give counsel an opportunity to shore up the evidence, tweak the strategy or streamline the approach. Trial attorneys have spent countless hours trying to assess “how the case is going” by trying to interpret body language or other non verbal cues. Jurors’ questions may remove some of this uncertainty.
Rather than simply opposing the concept, trial counsel needs to give more thought to how to handle jurors' questions during trial. A well thought out strategy should not be abandoned on the basis of one or two “off the wall” questions. Counsel needs the judge to commit at the outset of trial on whether he or she is in favor of the concept and, whether it will be considered for each and every witness. Witnesses need to be prepared to answer questions consistent with the requirements of the rule, and counsel needs to be prepared to ask follow up questions. Finally, counsel must be careful to make his or her record consistently throughout the course of the trial. If a juror’s question may elicit a response that was already excluded by motion in limine, counsel should renew the objection and remind the court of the ruling. Notwithstanding the conclusions of the Seventh Circuit American Jury Project Commission, counsel and their clients should anticipate that some trials may be lengthened by the process until it becomes more familiar to lawyers and judges alike.
SmithAmundsen LLC is a rapidly expanding law firm comprised of 135 attorneys practicing from offices in Chicago, St. Charles, Rockford and Woodstock, IL; Milwaukee, WI; and St. Louis, MO. The firm represents business entities and individuals engaged in most all commercial endeavors. Major practice concentrations include commercial litigation, labor and employment, banking and financial services, construction, insurance services, commercial transportation, health care and medical devices, products liability/manufacturing and corporate transaction and enterprise services.
Member News
Christine Clark has been named a Distinguished Fellow of teh American Society for Healthcare Risk Management. Congratulations to Christine from all of CHRMS. You can see Christine feceive this honor at the ASHRM 2012 Annual Conference and Exhibition on October 7-10, 2012 at National Harbor, Maryland.
New Members
Here are the newest members of CHRMS. We have had a few issues with our dtabase, so we apologize if we have left anyone off inadvertently.
Aileen Brooks, Anna Loftus, Cornelius Davidson, Elizabeth Connolly, James Filkins, John Mangan, Kevin Glynn, Kristine Mueller, Lauren Jerome, Margaret Hoffman, Matthew Raymond Hess, Michael Krause, Sandy Pryor, Sharon Gilbert, Jeff Kolodkin
Special Announcement
Webinars:
As a member, you have access to our recorded webinars. If you missed the webinar, this is the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the free webinar and utilize your membership benefits! Please access the main page www.chrmschicago.org for the link to the recording and PowerPoint slides.
Job Postings:
Members have access to job postings on our website. Please log in http://chrmschicago.org/members.php and select the Classifieds tab to view job opportunities!
Your Memberhip Profile:
CHRMS website (www.chrmschicago.org) offers the ability for you to update your information as it changes. CHRMS members can update their personal and professional information as well as change their password by logging in and selecting "Member Area-My Account Info." From here you can update your information and change your password. Select "Update" at the bottom of the screen to save the changes.
CHRMS Newsletter Submissions
Call for Presentations
CHRMS invites you and your colleagues to submit your application for consideration as a Content Expert and/or Speaker! CHRMS Content Expert Database seeks to compile content experts in the following categories:
Risk Management, Patient Safety, Quality & Operations, Accreditation & Regulatory Compliance, Claims & Litigation, Risk Financing, Insurance, Health Information & Technology, and Lessons Learned.
CHRMS programs and webinars provide a great venue/opportunity for you to represent your employer, disseminate your lessons learned, and network with local healthcare professionals in the risk management field. Please share this colleagues!
Additional information and the applicaiton is available on our website, Quick Links tab, Connections.