Message for Healthcare Leaders Following White House Healthcare Safety Forum from ECRI President and CEO

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy convened leading healthcare industry executives and Biden-Harris Administration officials for a Healthcare Safety Forum on World Patient Safety Day, September 17. ECRI President and CEO Dr. Marcus Schabacker was invited to moderate a discussion with healthcare leaders to highlight successful practices and behaviors that lead to improved patient and workforce safety outcomes.

Following the White House forum, Dr. Schabacker recorded this message with key takeaways for leaders across the healthcare ecosystem:

“We are at a pivotal crossroads for the future of the American healthcare system. Patients are experiencing preventable harm at alarming rates every day. The White House Healthcare Safety Forum was a promising step forward in our mission to strive for zero preventable harm in the delivery of care. But we have much more work to do to transform our healthcare institutions to prioritize patient safety. That calls for a new way of thinking.

Healthcare leaders must share what is working well and be candid about what isn’t, with a sense of urgency. In the weeks to come, I’ll continue to share ECRI’s insights about the strategies that were illuminated at the White House today that successfully improve patient safety, workforce safety and wellbeing, and health equity, including an emphasis on a total systems approach, just culture, uplifting patient voices, and human factors engineering principles.”

Dr. Marcus Schabacker

President and CEO, ECRI