Healthcare has failed to achieve the reliable safety performance of other high-risk industries, such as airlines, and must be more aggressive in measuring and customizing quality improvement to address safety gaps, the head of a hospital accrediting body said at a meeting of Chicago healthcare executives.
“We see routine safety processes failing routinely,” Dr. Mark Chassin, president of the Joint Commission, told attendees on the final day of the American College of Healthcare Executives' Congress on Healthcare Leadership. To improve quality, hospitals need a commitment to eliminate avoidable harm from the governing board, management, and physician and nurse executives, he said. Hospitals should also promote a culture where safety is an obligation and rewarded.