Strategic Planning & Organization Policy-FREE No CME Option-Patient Safety Structural Measure (720p HD)

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This webinar, “Building a Culture of Safety: Utilizing the Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM)” (session two), focuses on how strategic planning and organizational policy support patient safety. Presenter Kathy Collins reviews CMS’s upcoming PSSM requirements: hospitals will attest to five domains (with five elements each) in NHSN in spring 2026, with public reporting on Hospital Compare expected in fall 2026. The session emphasizes that patient safety should be a visible core organizational value, aligned with strategic goals, metrics, and an aspirational commitment to zero preventable harm.<br /><br />Key elements discussed include: publicly sharing safety commitments and goals; using metrics to identify and address disparities in safety outcomes (including social drivers of health such as transportation, food insecurity, housing, and health literacy); implementing written Just Culture policies distinguishing human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless behavior; requiring patient safety curriculum and competency assessment for all staff, including executives and governing boards; and maintaining an action plan for workforce safety (e.g., slips/trips/falls, safe patient handling, sharps injuries, violence prevention, fire/electrical safety, and psychological safety).<br /><br />Polling and discussion highlight variable readiness, common barriers (culture change, identifying disparities), and the value of gap/self-assessments and action plans supported by shared resources.

Keywords

Building a Culture of Safety

Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM)

CMS hospital quality requirements

NHSN attestation

Hospital Compare public reporting

Just Culture policy

zero preventable harm

health equity and safety disparities

workforce safety action plan