Risk Management

The Indian Health Service provides safe, trusted health care to American Indians and Alaska Natives. We promote safe, effective practices that reduce the possibility of accident or harm. Our policies and practices protect patients, practitioners, and the resources of the Indian Health Service.

The IHS has a Risk Management Program that coordinates peer reviews of malpractice claims involving care at IHS and Tribal facilities and determines how systems can be improved to prevent recurrences of identified problems. The Program urges IHS and Tribal health care providers to familiarize themselves with:

• The Risk Management Manual, which has best practices to avoid malpractice claims and offers an understanding of federal malpractice law and of how claims are processed; and
• The Federal Tort Claims Act, a law that allows U.S. citizens to sue the federal government under limited circumstances and that functions as de facto malpractice insurance for most IHS and Tribal health care providers.