Automated EHR adverse event monitoring

The Betsy Lehman Center is now accepting applications from acute care hospitals in Massachusetts for a first-in-nation pilot of an automated adverse event monitoring (AAEM) system. Projected to start in summer 2025, this 18-month pilot of 6-8 organizations is a foundational action step toward implementing the state’s Roadmap to Health Care Safety.  

The Betsy Lehman Center has contracted with Pascal Metrics Inc., which hosts a federally listed Patient Safety Organization (PSO) and is a leader in the field of AAEM. The Center will cover the cost of Pascal Metrics’ services for participating hospitals during the pilot period.

The pilot will:

• Save lives. Early-adopter hospitals in other states are achieving unprece­dented reductions in patient harm — around 25 percent overall, and 60-80 percent of certain types of harm.
• Save money. Hospitals are seeing high returns on investment through reductions in lengths of stay, risk management costs, and liability claims. As a major payer of health care claims, the Commonwealth also stands to benefit financially with reduced lengths of stay and follow-up care for MassHealth members that experience harm.
• Promote health equity. Racial and other disparities in safety reporting and outcomes are well-documented. Automated tools eliminate the human biases that lead to underreporting and will help close the gap in safety outcomes.
• Support the workforce. Automation eases the burden of manual reporting and reveals patterns that enable leaders and staff to prioritize safety improvement efforts.
• Inform state health care policy. Data from the pilot will open a unique window into patient safety outcomes, risks, and trends not currently available. The pilot also includes an economic impact analysis that will measure cost savings.