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. The Sentinel Event Advisory Group:
- Annually recommends program-specific National Patient Safety Goals and related Requirements, for adoption by The Joint Commission Board of Commissioners.
- 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 that are components of The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals.
- 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 that are components of The Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals.
- Recommends potential future topics for Sentinel Event Alert.
- Assesses and facilitates learning initiatives about sentinel events, Sentinel Event Alerts, and the National Patient Safety Goals, including the implementation and effectiveness of the Goals and Requirements. Learning initiatives include on-line tools such as Implementation Expectations, Frequently Asked Questions and Powerpoint presentations; tool kits to facilitate implementation of the National Patient Safety Goals; and educational seminars and workshops.
- Aligns potential NPSGs with the safety goals and requirements of other organizations, such as the National Quality Forum and the Leapfrog Group, to the extent possible.
Advisory group members
Chair: Patrick J. Brennan, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Chief Medical Officer, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pa.
Vice-Chair: Ronni P. Solomon, J.D., Executive Vice President and General Counsel, ECRI, Plymouth Meeting, Pa.
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, Center for Quality Improvement & Patient Safety, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, Md.
William H. Beeson, M.D., Clinical Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine, Carmel, Ind.
Michael Cohen, R.Ph., M.S., Sc.D., President, Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Huntingdon Valley, Pa.
Diane Cousins, R.Ph., Vice President, Center for the Advancement of Patient Safety, 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.
Frank Federico, B.S., R.Ph., Director, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, Mass.
Steven S. Fountain, M.D., Chairman, Norcal Mutual Insurance Co., La Quinta, Calif.
Suzanne Graham, R.N., Ph.D., Director of Patient Safety, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif.
Jerril Green, M.D., Associate Professor Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark.
Ezra E. H. Griffith, M.D., Deputy Chair for Clinical Affairs, Professor of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Peter Gross, M.D., Chairman, Department of Internal Medicine, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, N.J.
Carol Haraden, Ph.D., Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, 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.
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.
David Mechtenberg, CEO, Ridgecrest Regional Hospital, Ridgecrest, Calif.
Mark W. Milner, R.N., MBA, MHS, Executive Director, Center for Quality Excellence, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, La.
Jeanine Arden Ornt, J.D., Vice President and General Counsel, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
Grena Porto, R.N., MS, ARM, CPHRM, Senior Vice President, Marsh, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
Matthew Scanlon, M.D., Assistant Professor, Pediatrics-Critical Care, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wis.
Carl A. Sirio, M.D., Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Schools of Medicine & Pharmacy, UPMC, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Dana Swenson, P.E., MBA, Vice President, Facilities, UMass Memorial Health Care, Worcester, Mass.
Susan M. West, R.N., Director, Professional Risk Management, Clinical Excellence & Patient Safety, University of Colorado at Denver & Health Sciences Center, Aurora, Colo.
For more information, contact Peter Angood, M.D., Vice President and Chief Patient Safety Officer, at pangood@jointcommission.org or (630) 792-5985, or visit www.jointcommission.org.
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