SUMMER 2024

Q&A: Regina Hoffman on Pennsylvania’s Patient Safety Authority

Like the Betsy Lehman Center, the Patient Safety Authority is a non-regulatory state agency in Pennsylvania mandated to improve the safety of the health care system through data analysis, education and support. Executive Director Regina Hoffman, M.B.A., R.N., describes how the PSA uses its database of more than 5 million adverse event reports from hospitals and other facilities to further safety goals. “Our team is always watching for unusual patterns in the data — early indicators, if you will — that prompt us to take a deeper look.”

She also reports on how the authority offers facilities support tailored to their needs and shares a personal story about safety during the hospitalization of a family member.

Read the story and see the video

New rule from CMS incentivizes hospitals to attest to safety measures

Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published a Patient Safety Structural Measure as part of its final rule for 2025. The new measure calls on most acute care hospitals in the country to attest to their use of 25 proven strategies and practices that support systemic and cultural improvements in patient safety. Payment will be reduced in FY 2027 for hospitals that have not submitted their data. In addition, attestation results will be publicly reported. The measure aligns with national plans to improve patient safety and the Massachusetts Roadmap to Health Care Safety.

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Safety news roundup

Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform many aspects of health care, including patient safety:

Safety report: Patient Safety and Artificial Intelligence: Opportunities and Challenges for Care Delivery, from the Lucian Leape Institute at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, explores the potential benefits, risks and challenges of generative AI. An expert panel suggests ways to navigate the evolving landscape. Read the report here.

Workshop slides and videos: The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a public workshop on the opportunities and challenges for improving diagnosis in the era of digital health and artificial intelligence. See video playlist and presentation slides here.

Webinar: The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Healthcare hosted a webinar, "The Artificial Intelligence Revolution in Healthcare: Opportunity or Threat?" Panelists explain how AI is being used in health care now and what to expect soon and long-term. Watch the recording here.

Funding opportunity: A new research funding opportunity from AHRQ will assess positive and negative impacts of artificial intelligence deployed in health care delivery systems. Applications are due Sept 25. Learn more and apply here.

Upcoming events

Aug. 14

11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

CMS Proposed Patient Safety Structural Measure: What It Takes To Be Ready. Join Press Ganey safety and reliability experts for a forum on organizational readiness for the new CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure. Register here

Aug. 19

12:30 - 2 p.m.

The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the Safety of Patients. Kaveh Shojania, M.D., and Bob Wachter, M.D., share insights and recommendations from a report on patient safety and artificial intelligence. A free webinar from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Register here

Oct. 18

10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

2024 Annual CARe Forum. Save the date for this year’s event, featuring a keynote panel led by Dr. Lauge Sokol-Hessner about the patient’s experience of long-term emotional harm after an adverse event and how communication about the error impacts that harm. Registration will open at the end of the summer.

The Betsy Lehman Center is a Massachusetts state agency that supports providers, patients and policymakers working together to advance the safety and quality of health care.

BetsyLehmanCenterMA.gov