Strategic Planning & Organization Policy- CME Paid Option-Patient Safety Structural Measure (720p HD)

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This webinar is the second session in a “Building a Culture of Safety” series focused on CMS’s Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM), specifically the Strategic Planning and Organizational Policy domain. The presenter reviews that PSSM is a structural, attestation-based measure to be reported in NHSN in spring 2026 (reflecting 2025 activities) and displayed on Hospital Compare in fall 2026; it is required for PPS hospitals and optional for Critical Access Hospitals.<br /><br />Key expectations discussed include integrating patient safety as a core organizational value within the hospital’s strategic plan, publicly sharing safety commitments, and setting measurable goals—including an aspirational goal of zero preventable harm. Hospitals should also use metrics to identify and address disparities in safety outcomes using patient characteristics and social drivers of health.<br /><br />Additional elements include implementing written “Just Culture” policies that distinguish human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior; requiring patient safety curriculum and competency assessments for all staff (including executives and governing boards); and maintaining a workforce safety action plan with improvement activities, metrics, and trends (e.g., slips/falls, sharps, violence, psychological safety).<br /><br />Participants are encouraged to complete a gap assessment, gather documentation to support attestation, and develop action plans to address missing components.

Keywords

CMS Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM)

Building a Culture of Safety webinar series

Strategic Planning and Organizational Policy domain

NHSN reporting spring 2026

Hospital Compare public reporting fall 2026

Just Culture policy (human error, at-risk, reckless)

zero preventable harm safety goals

patient safety disparities metrics (SDOH)

workforce safety action plan (violence, sharps, psychological safety)