'The Business of Health Care Report'

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I’m Doug Hawthorne, president and CEO of Texas Health Resources, with “The Business of Health Care Report.”

We’ve all been guilty of it. We’re driving along during the business day and take a call from the office. Some of these calls last longer than anticipated, and before you know it, you’ve arrived at your destination and don’t remember how you got there. And, how many of you have called an employee you know is on the road?

Cell phones and driving are a dangerous mix. According to the Partnership for Safe Driving, the risk of causing a crash is increased by 400 percent when talking on a cell phone. As a matter of fact, more than 1,000 Texas crashes in 2001 were directly attributed to cell phone use.

There are many implications when employees conduct business while driving and injure themselves or an innocent party. These are preventable situations and business leaders should step up to encourage appropriate cell phone use.

Here are some things you can do. Ask employees to pull over to a safe location when using the phone. Hands-free devices have not been proven to minimize distractions while driving. Encourage the use of landlines for conference calls so that there are no participants in cars when these calls occur. And finally, emphasize common courtesy and good driving habits.

Accidents often can be prevented. But, if you conduct business on a cell phone while driving, you’re an accident waiting to happen.

For Texas Health Resources and its faith-based hospitals – Harris Methodist, Presbyterian and Arlington Memorial – I’m Doug Hawthorne.