Patient Safety Practices: Leaders Can Turn Barriers Into Accelerators

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Abstract
This paper is intended to meet a critical need expressed by community hospital administrative and medical leaders: to provide a briefing resource to call trustees and CEOs to action in patient safety. We seek to answer key questions regarding patient safety and the emerging Pay-For-Performance movement. To illustrate the terrific opportunities for trustees and CEOs to lead, we chart the early course of the Leapfrog NQF Safe Practices Program. We sort some of the truth from the myth. We then describe how trustees and CEOs can turn the common adoption barriers of awareness, accountability, ability, and action into accelerators of patient safety in their organizations. Leadership is truly the critical ingredient to rapid safety practice adoption. As such, trustees and CEOs have a duty to serve their communities as fully engaged leaders.