In April 2002, The Joint Commission appointed a group of experienced physicians, nurses, pharmacists and other patient safety experts to advise the Joint Commission in the development of its first set of National Patient Safety Goals (NPSGs). The Sentinel Event Advisory Group:
- Annually recommends core and program-specific NPSGs and related specific implementation requirements for adoption by The Joint Commission Board of Commissioners.
- Reviews draft patient safety recommendations for potential publication in The Joint Commission’s periodic Sentinel Event Alert advisory, and advises Joint Commission staff as to the evidence for and face validity of these recommendations, as well as their practicality and cost of implementation.
- Advises Joint Commission staff as to the acceptability of alternative practices implemented by or being considered by accredited organizations in lieu of implementing the specific requirements associated with The Joint Commission’s individual NPSGs.
- Recommends topics for future consideration in Sentinel Event Alert.
Advisory group members
Chairman: Peter Gross, M.D., Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, N.J.
James P. Bagian, M.D., P.E., Director, VA National Center for Patient Safety, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Jane H. Barnsteiner, R.N., Ph.D., FAAN, Director of Nursing Translational Research, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pa.
James B. Battles, Ph.D., Senior Service Fellow for Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Md.
William H. Beeson, M.D., Director, Beeson Aesthetic Surgery Institute, Carmel, Ind.
Patrick J. Brennan, M.D., Chief of Health Care Quality & Patient Safety, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pa.
Michael Cohen, R.Ph., M.S., Sc.D., President, Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
Jim Conway, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Diane Cousins, R.Ph., Vice President of CAPS, United States Pharmacopeia, Rockville, Md.
Martin H. Diamond, FACHE, President and CEO, The Diamond Group, Lafayette, Calif.
Cindy Dougherty, R.N., CPHQ, Director, Quality Measurement & Improvement, Northwest Community Healthcare, Arlington Heights, Ill.
Steven S. Fountain, M.D., Chairman, Norcal Mutual Insurance Co., Saratoga, Ca.
Suzanne Graham, R.N., Ph.D., Patient Safety Practice Leader, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.
Ezra E. H. Griffith, M.D., Deputy Chair for Clinical Affairs, Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Carol Haraden, Ph.D., Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Boston, Mass.
Martin J. Hatlie, Esq., President, Partnership for Patient Safety, Chicago, Ill.
Jennifer Jackson, B.S.N., J.D., President and CEO, Connecticut Hospital Association, Wallingford, Conn.
Brent James, M.D., Executive Director, Institute for Health Care Delivery Research, Intermountain Health Care, Salt Lake City, Utah
Henri R. Manasse, Jr., Ph.D., Sc.D., Executive Vice President and CEO, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, Md. Former chair, National Patient Safety Foundation.
Jane McCaffrey, MHSA, DFASHRM, Director, Safety & Risk Management, Self Regional Healthcare, Greenwood, S.C.
Mark W. Milner, R.N., MBA, MHS, San Antonio, Texas.
David Mechtenberg, CEO, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Jeanine Arden Ornt, J.D., Vice President and General Counsel, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
Grena Porto, R.N., MS, ARM, CPHRM, Principal, QRS Healthcare Consulting LLC, Hockessin, Del.
Carl A. Sirio, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine & Pharmacy, UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Ronni Solomon, J.D., Executive Vice President and General Counsel, ECRI, Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
Dana Swenson, P.E., MBA, Vice President, Facilities, UMass Memorial Health Care, Worcester, Ma.
Bonnie J. Atterbury Taylor, M.D., Medical Director and Senior Vice President, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, Ark.
For more information, contact Cathy Barry-Ipema, chief communications officer, at (630) 792-5630 or visit the Joint Commission’s website.