With ten years of data now in hand, CHS hospitals can be extremely proud of their work to improve patient safety. On a combined basis, our hospitals have achieved a record high Serious Safety Event Rate reduction of 87.9% compared to the baseline established in 2013.
This decade-in-the-making achievement equates to thousands of lives spared from harm and is evidence of a culture where patient safety is a shared responsibility.
“These results demonstrate our ability to create a culture where patient safety is a core value and where everyone has a role to play in keeping patients safe while they are in our care,” says Lynn Simon, M.D., President of Clinical Operations and Chief Medical Officer. “Credit for these remarkable results goes to every physician, nurse, clinical caregiver, administrative, and support team member who shares in our never-ending responsibility to put patient safety first, always.”
CHS has one of the largest, longest-running and most successful patient safety initiatives. And, with a goal of zero events of harm, maintaining these results and improving further is an ongoing and daily effort.
More evidence of safety improvements can be found in the Leapfrog patient safety scores with 67% of CHS hospitals earning an A or B grade in the November 2022 update.
Before the pandemic, many U.S. hospitals were working on patient safety improvements known to save lives and reduce healthcare costs. Some of that progress slipped as COVID cases climbed, workforce shortages plagued hospitals, and other pressures affected hospital operations and patient care.
But, with CHS hospitals achieving their largest reduction in serious safety events in 2022, there is good reason for optimism that the positive trend can continue.
Congratulations to these CHS hospitals that achieved ZERO serious safety events in 2021 and 2022.