Hospital and Health System

Public Hospitals Join Patient Safety Initiative

Kaiser Permanente, together with the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) and the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH), 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 healthcare 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 1 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 goals of the patient safety initiative 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.