Since 2003 when Ascension Health committed to the Call to Action for Healthcare That Is Safe, associates have continuously sought to eliminate preventable injuries and deaths through the eight Priorities for Action (falls and fall injuries, pressure ulcers, perinatal safety, nosocomial infections, perioperative safety, Joint Commission national patient safety goals, adverse drug events). The Priorities for Action had remarkable results, exceeding the primary goal for reducing preventable mortality by three times.
The successes of the Priorities for Action enabled Ascension Health to look more broadly at the opportunities for improvement. Healing without Harm by 2014 represents the way to build on past progress and learn from errors. In this way Ascension Health will become a highly reliable organization, with consistent quality and safety for patients and caregivers. By becoming a high-reliability healthcare system, Ascension Health will consistently deliver safe, reliable, proven methods of care through expert teams, based on patients’ needs and preferences.
With the new goal of Healing without Harm by 2014, Ascension Health recommits to delivering Healthcare That Is Safe to all we serve. Healing without Harm by 2014 is a bold but fitting destination for Ascension Health, the ministry bold enough to ask, “If not now, when? If not us, who?”
