Missouri Patient Safety Center Expanding

The Missouri Center for Patient Safety wants to show folks outside of the Show Me State what it is capable of doing.

The Jefferson City-based organization announced last week that it intends to take its programs national. It will begin offering its programs to other portions of the country immediately.

“We've reached a point where we see our expertise contributing to the larger conversation and changes underway in healthcare settings around the country," said MCPS Executive Director Becky Miller.

The MCPS was formed in 2005, after state officials followed up on a national report released in 1999 concluding that as many as 99,000 hospital patients die every year due to preventable medical errors. The organization is a collaboration between the Missouri Hospital Association, the Missouri State Medical Association, and Primaris, the state’s federally designated quality improvement organization.

The Center’s primary program is the comprehensive unit-based safety program, which is conducted in conjunction with the Missouri Hospital Association. It focuses on empowering staff to improve safety in hospitals and learn from previous problems and medical errors. More than 40 hospitals are participating – the vast majority of Missouri’s acute care facilities.

In past efforts, the organization has focused on reducing hospital infection rates and promoting the use of colored wristbands for patients to decrease any confusion about who is being treated for what.

The Center has not yet released any information about signing up clients in any states.