In the face of continued unacceptably high rates of harm, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement convened the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety (NSC) in May 2018 to encourage greater coordination of collective patient safety efforts. Organizations were purposefully selected for their demonstrated commitment to accelerating the improvement of safety, reducing harm, and working with others to spread best practices.

Membership in the NSC is voluntary and includes leaders from 27 organizations representing health care organizations and health care systems; patients, families, and care partners; professional societies; safety and quality organizations; regulatory and accrediting bodies; and federal agencies.

Together, members developed a vision statement and core principles to guide the work of the NSC and the creation of the National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety to address areas of need and advance collective progress toward establishing total systems safety.

National Steering Committee Chair

• Erin Grace, Deputy Director, Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

National Steering Committee Members

• Paul W. Abramowitz, PharmD, ScD (Hon), FASHP, Chief Executive Officer, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
• David Bartholomew, Senior Vice President, Learning, American College of Healthcare Executives
• Robyn Begley, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Executive Officer, American Organization for Nursing Leadership; Senior Vice President and Chief Nursing Officer, American Hospital Association
• Jeffrey Brady, MD, MPH,* Director, Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• Gerard Cox, MD, Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Quality and Patient Safety, US Department of Veterans Affairs
• Shannon Davila, MSN, RN, CIC, CPQH, FAPIC, Associate Director, Safety Solutions, ECRI
• Chris DeRienzo, Senior Vice President and Chief Physician Executive, American Hospital Association
• Virgil Dickson, Senior Policy Analyst, American Essential Hospitals
• Susan Edgman-Levitan, PA, Executive Director, John D. Stoeckle Center for Primary Care Innovation, Massachusetts General Hospital Division of General Internal Medicine; Co-Chair, Mass General Brigham Patient Experience Leaders Committee; IHI Senior Fellow; Harvard Medical School
• Paul L. Epner, MBA, MEd, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Society to Improve Diagnosis in Medicine
• Rollin J. (Terry) Fairbanks, MD, MS, CPPS, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality and Safety Officer, MedStar Health; Executive Director, MedStar Institute for Quality and Safety
• Andrew Furman, MD, Vice President, Clinical Evidence and Safety Solutions, ECRI
• Tejal K. Gandhi, MD, MPH, CPPS, Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement; Chief Safety and Transformation Officer, Press Ganey Associates, LLC
• Thomas Granatir, Senior Vice President, Policy and External Relations, American Board of Medical Specialties
• Erofile Gripiotis, Program Analyst, Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
• William Gunnar, MD, JD,* Executive Director, National Center for Patient Safety, Veterans Health Administration
• Helen Haskell, MA, President, Mothers Against Medical Error
• Martin J. Hatlie, JD, President and CEO, Project Patient Care
• Gary S. Kaplan, MD, FACMPE, Chair, IHI Lucian Leape Institute; Senior Vice President, Common Spirit
• Steve Littlejohn, MA, MBA, Patient and Family Partner
• Troy McCann, Director of Regulatory Affairs, DNV
• Ana Pujols McKee, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, The Joint Commission
• Stephanie E. Mercado, CAE, CPHQ, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, National Association for Healthcare Quality
• Stephen E. Muething, MD, Chief Quality Officer, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center; Strategic Advisor, Children's Hospitals' Solutions for Patient Safety
• Minda G. Nieblas, Medical Officer, Occupational Safety and Health Administration
• Susan Paparella, MSN, RN, Vice President, Institute for Safe Medication Practices
• Jade Perdue,* Director, Division of Quality Improvement Innovations Model Testing, Quality Improvement Innovation Group, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Cheryl A. Peterson, MSN, RN, Vice President, Nursing Programs, American Nurses Association
• Susan C. Reinhard, RN, PhD, FAAN, Senior Vice President and Director, AARP Public Policy Institute; Chief Strategist, Center to Champion Nursing in America
• Suz Schrandt, JD, Senior Patient Engagement Advisor, Founder and CEO, ExPPect
• Michelle Schreiber, MD, Deputy Director for Quality and Value, Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Cynthia Smith, MD, FACP, Vice President, Clinical Education, American College of Physicians
• Arjun Srinivasan, MD, FSHEA,* Captain, United States Public Health Service; Associate Director, Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Programs, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Marijin VanOort, Director, Business Development, American College of Healthcare Executives
• Scott K. Winiecki, MD,* Supervisory Medical Officer, Safe Use Initiative, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, US Food and Drug Administration

*Indicates federal liaison member

This report provides clear direction and 17 recommendations that health care leaders, delivery organizations, and associations can use to make significant advances toward safer care and reduced harm across the continuum of care.

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The Self-Assessment Tool, a supplemental resource to the National Action Plan, assists leaders and organizations in deciding where to start. An online version of the Self-Assessment Tool is also available.

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The Implementation Resource Guide, a supplemental resource to the National Action Plan, details specific tactics and supporting resources for implementing the National Action Plan recommendations.

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In May 2022, the NSC issued the Declaration to Advance Patient Safety to urge health care leaders across the care continuum to recommit to advancing patient and workforce safety with a total systems approach, as presented in the National Action Plan.

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