The complexities of the care environment are known contributors to harm and initiative failure. The authors suggest that systemic versus siloed approaches to patient harm reduction will reduce difficulty in accomplishing improvement.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) first implemented a policy of nonpayment for specific hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) in 2008. In 2014, they implemented a value-based purchasing program (the Hospital-Acquired Condition Reduction Program) that reduces reimbursement to hospitals with elevated rates of a range of HACs. The program measures HAC rates by a composite Patient Safety Indicator (PSI90), which includes 10 specific PSIs. This study examined HAC rates after implementation of the reimbursement penalty program at a cohort of academic medical centers. Overall, HAC rates declined over the 2 years following implementation of the program, with only rates of pressure ulcers increasing. Another recent study also found declines in HAC rates associated with CMS nonpayment initiatives, and data from AHRQ has also demonstrated significant reductions in HACs over the past 5 years. Nevertheless, concerns persist about the validity of using PSI for patient safety measurement over time, and other studies have found no effect of reimbursement policies on other HACs that are not included in PSI90 (such as specific health care–associated infections). A past PSNet perspective discussed the effect of pay-for-performance and other financial incentives for patient safety.

Medical errors and adverse events can have a devastating psychological impact on the providers involved, often referred to as second victims. Increasingly, health care institutions are implementing programs designed to provide emotional support to team members who experience emotional distress as a result of adverse events. This study provides an economic cost–benefit evaluation of the Resiliency In Stressful Events (RISE) program at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Investigators estimate a savings of $22,576.05 per nurse who used the RISE program and suggest that the hospital might save as much as $1.81 million annually as a result of RISE. These findings are consistent with a previous study, which demonstrated the positive impact of an emotional support program on work-related outcomes such as turnover intentions and absenteeism. In a past PSNet perspective, Susan Scott discussed the second victim phenomenon and its impact on health care providers.