National Quality Forum Endorses Updated Safe Practices

Washington, DC, December 28, 2009 — To guide healthcare systems in providing safe care the National Quality Forum (NQF) has endorsed an updated list of Safe Practices for Better Healthcare. The 34 endorsed practices, addressing issues like healthcare associated infections, pediatric imaging and workforce development, have been updated with latest evidence and are a guide to healthcare systems in providing care that is free from error and harm.

Preventable errors cost the United States an estimated 98,000 lives annually and $17 billion to $29 billion per year in healthcare expenses, lost worker productivity, lost income and disability. ?

“Safe care is central to high quality healthcare. While small scale advancements have been made, healthcare is not as safe as it should be,” said Janet M. Corrigan, NQF president and CEO. “Safe Practices can guide healthcare systems in providing safer, higher quality care and involving patients and families in their care.” ??

Throughout the updated Practices, language was added to emphasize the importance of involving patients and their families to make care safer. This update aligns with the National Priorities Partnership (NPP) priorities to increase patient and family engagement in healthcare and to improve the safety and reliability of the healthcare system. ?

Safe Practices are part of NQF’s safety portfolio which includes safety measures, educational webinars on implementing Safe Practices, and Serious Reportable Events – a list of 28 serious medical errors that should never happen. NQF is also in the process of endorsing additional patient safety measures and a framework for reporting safety events. ??

NQF is a voluntary consensus standards-setting organization. Any party may request reconsideration of the recommendations, in whole or in part, by notifying NQF in writing via e-mail no later than January 26, 2010 (appeals@qualityforum.org). For an appeal to be considered, the notification e-mail must include information clearly demonstrating that the appellant has interests that are directly and materially affected by the NQF-endorsed recommendations and that the NQF decision has had (or will have) an adverse effect on those interests. ?

The Texas Medical Institute of Technology made financial contributions in support of this project. ?

The mission of the National Quality Forum is to improve the quality of American healthcare by setting national priorities and goals for performance improvement, endorsing national consensus standards for measuring and publicly reporting on performance, and promoting the attainment of national goals through education and outreach programs. NQF, a non-profit organization (www.qualityforum.org) with diverse stakeholders across the public and private health sectors, was established in 1999 and is based in Washington, DC.