Two-year program designed to enhance patient safety at public hospitals

Kaiser Permanente together with the National Patient Safety Foundation and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems today announced the "Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals." This two-year program is designed to enhance patient safety programs at public hospitals to ensure safe, high-quality care for vulnerable and low-income populations that depend on publicly supported health care institutions for medical care.

Kaiser Permanente contributed $718,010 to fund 85 hospitals for the two-year program. Forty-two hospitals were selected for Phase I in 2009, with the remaining 43 to be selected for Phase 2 in 2010. There is potential to expand this program to all 140 NAPH member hospitals.

"The Patient Safety Initiative represents a shared commitment between the NAPH, NPSF and Kaiser Permanente that the hospitals that provide care to most vulnerable in our communities exemplify standards, practices and organizational culture that minimize patient risk and enhances safety," said Winston Wong, MD, medical director for Community Benefit, Kaiser Permanente. "Regulators and more importantly, our patients, expect an uncompromising program to produce system wide patient safety. This initiative is part of that promise."

The goals of the Patient Safety Initiative at America's Public Hospitals are to:

• position public hospitals on the leading edge of patient safety and quality care
• establish a consistent and shared pool of patient safety knowledge, tool sets, and techniques
• develop a community of public hospital clinicians, patient safety and quality leaders, and hospital executives committed to this initiative
• garner measurable results in patient safety practices
• create patient and community programs fostering communication that engages, informs, and builds continued confidence in care and the public hospital system.

"This unique partnership with Kaiser Permanente and NAPH is a remarkable opportunity for the National Patient Safety Foundation to contribute to the pursuit and delivery of safe care for the tens of millions of patients who depend on America's public hospitals each year," said Diane Pinakiewicz, president of NPSF. "We have deep respect and admiration for the commitment, determination, and skill of those at the forefront of care in safety net hospitals across the nation, and feel privileged to do our part, through NPSF patient safety programs and resources, to support their meaningful work."

"NAPH is very pleased to work with NPSF to bring this critical training to our members. We are grateful for Kaiser Permanente's leadership and the support from its Community Benefit Fund," said Christine Capito Burch, executive director, NAPH. "This fund has been instrumental in strengthening NAPH's quality agenda and bringing quality and patient safety resources to our members."

Participating hospitals represent diverse geographic locations and include single hospitals and larger systems, as well as those with nascent patient safety and quality efforts and those with more advanced programs.

Key focus areas for this program include enhancing the culture and leadership, infrastructure and measurement capabilities, and metrics for evidence in improving patient safety and outcomes at each of the participating facilities. Participants will have access to multiple resources including membership in the highly-acclaimed NPSF Stand Up for Patient Safety program, NPSF Patient Safety Congress registrations, health literacy and communications tools, measurement and analysis tools, and opportunities to apply for Patient Safety Leadership Fellowships.

"We believe that it is essential to strive for a long-term, sustainable patient safety and quality improvement program designed to drive perception, policy, and practice changes in public hospital settings," said Doug Bonacum, vice president of safety management, Kaiser Permanente. "The mission and critical goal, is to deliver on the promise of achieving better outcomes for patients, removing inequities in care, and reasserting public hospitals on the forefront of patient safety and quality."