Western Governors University

D913: Risk Management and Compliance

A WGU Master of Healthcare Administration course on identifying risk, analyzing adverse events and building corrective action plans.

Updated October 2026 · 5 min read

D913 Risk Management and Compliance is a course in the Master of Healthcare Administration at Western Governors University. WGU's description covers risk exposure, response and risk mitigation in healthcare organizations, and notes that it has no prerequisites.

Learners explore the regulatory environment, risk assessment methods and strategies for mitigation, and the guide lists competencies on analyzing adverse events, creating a corrective action plan and evaluating a healthcare organization's survey readiness. The challenge is writing about real risk with enough specificity to be useful.

Course at a Glance

ItemDetails
UniversityWestern Governors University
Course codeD913
ProgramMaster of Healthcare Administration
LevelGraduate
PrerequisitesNone listed
Typical workCase-based risk analysis and corrective action planning (confirm the format in your course page)

What D913 Covers

Competency themeWhat you do
Analyze adverse eventsWork out what happened, why, and what failed
Create a corrective action planSet actions, owners, deadlines and checks
Evaluate survey readinessJudge how prepared an organization is for an external review
Regulatory environmentUnderstand healthcare policy, legislation and regulations
Risk assessment methodsIdentify, rate and prioritize risks

Key Concepts Explained

Rating Risk

A common approach rates each risk by likelihood and impact, often on a five-point scale, and multiplies them to give a score. This lets leaders rank many risks and decide where to act first.

Example: Medication errors are rated likelihood 3 and impact 5, giving 15. A delayed supply order is rated likelihood 4 and impact 2, giving 8. The medication risk ranks higher despite being less frequent, because the harm to patients could be severe.

Root Cause Analysis

After an adverse event, the aim is to find system causes, not to blame a person. Asking "why" repeatedly, or sorting causes under headings such as people, process, equipment and environment, leads to causes that can be fixed.

Corrective Action Plans

A good plan states the cause addressed, the action, who is responsible, the deadline, and how success will be verified. Actions that change systems, such as checklists or forcing functions, usually beat actions that rely on reminders.

Typical Assignments and How to Approach Them

The excerpts of WGU's guide available do not list detailed tasks, so this table describes work typical of the competencies named above.

Task typeWhat it testsHow to approach it
Adverse event analysisFinding causesBuild a timeline, then group causes by theme
Corrective action planPractical planningUse a table: cause, action, owner, date, measure
Survey readiness reviewCompliance judgmentCompare practice against standards and note gaps
Risk assessmentPrioritizing risksRate, rank and justify the top three

A Corrective Action Plan Template

The table below shows the layout many readers expect. The entries are illustrative.

CauseAction and ownerCheck
Look-alike drug labelsSeparate storage and relabel (pharmacy lead)Monthly storage audit
No second check on high-risk dosesAdd independent double-check (nurse manager)Compliance rate on chart review
Training gapsScenario training for new staff (education lead)Competency sign-off rate

Where Students Get Stuck

Study Tips for D913

Preparing for Survey Readiness

One named competency is evaluating survey readiness. Think of it as a structured gap check against external standards.

  1. List the standards that apply to the organization.
  2. For each, note the evidence an inspector would expect: policies, records, observed practice.
  3. Rate each as ready, partly ready or not ready.
  4. Prioritize gaps by patient risk and effort to fix.
  5. Turn the top gaps into corrective actions with owners and dates.

Be specific about evidence. "Staff are trained" is weaker than "training records show 92% completion of annual fire safety training".

Monitoring After the Plan

A corrective action plan is not finished when it is written. Leaders need to confirm that actions were completed and that they worked. Set a date for each check, say who reviews it, and define what result would count as success, such as a drop in repeat events or a compliance rate above a stated target.

Plan what happens if the check fails: revisit the cause analysis rather than repeating the same action. Showing this feedback loop signals mature risk management to a reader.

How We Help with D913

Send the prompt, case material, rubric and feedback. A tutor can explain root cause analysis with a fresh example, outline a corrective action plan, or review your draft. For broader support, see our healthcare management assignment help guide.

GradeEssays is independent of Western Governors University. Our work is a study and reference aid: use it to understand the method, then write and submit your own work under WGU's academic integrity policy. Every order is written from scratch, with free revisions within the scope of your original request and a full refund if it is late.

Make Sense of Your D913 Work

Share the prompt, case and rubric. A healthcare tutor prepares a custom outline or reviews your draft.

Start My D913 Help

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does D913 have prerequisites?

WGU lists none.

What competencies does D913 name?

Analyzing healthcare organizational adverse events, creating a corrective action plan and evaluating a healthcare organization's survey readiness.

What is the goal of root cause analysis?

To find system-level causes that can be fixed, rather than to blame individuals.

How do I rank risks?

Rate likelihood and impact, combine them into a score and explain the ranking.

How is the course assessed?

WGU is competency-based. Check your course page for the format and rubric.

Can GradeEssays complete my D913 assessment for submission?

No. We provide tutoring and feedback only, and you must submit your own work under WGU's policy.