Next steps-policy in clinical practice: The patient safety structural measure

Area of Science:

• Healthcare policy
• Patient safety
• Hospital administration

Background:

• The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) introduced a Patient Safety Structural Measure.
• This measure encourages hospitals to develop and report on patient safety initiatives.
• Hospitalist practice is well-positioned to engage with and enhance this policy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the new CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure.
• To explore the role of hospitalist practice in advancing patient safety.
• To discuss the implications of this policy on hospital care.

Main Methods:

• Policy description and analysis.
• Discussion of hospitalist practice implications.
• Exploration of patient and family engagement strategies.

Main Results:

• The CMS measure incentivizes comprehensive patient safety programs and outcome reporting.
• Hospitalist engagement can foster transparency and patient-family involvement.
• Systematic identification, reporting, analysis, and improvement of harm are crucial.

Conclusions:

• The CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure offers a framework for improving hospital safety.
• Hospitalists play a key role in implementing transparent safety practices.
• Effective patient safety requires a systematic approach to harm and healing.