Trusted leader in caring for people & advancing health
MedStar Health has embraced an organization-wide culture of safety. We have invested heavily in developing expertise that is both collaborative and patient-centered. The MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety provides a mechanism for us to share what we are learning through education, training, research, and advocacy.
Established by MedStar Health, the largest healthcare provider in Maryland and the Washington, D.C., region, the MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety provides a global infrastructure for leaders, frontline caregivers, patients, and family members to jointly develop, educate, assess, and advocate for patient safety and clinical quality initiatives.
Our mission
To partner with patients, their families, and those who take care of them to improve patient care and outcomes and to reduce the global burden of preventable harm.
Utilizing more than 100 years of collective patient safety and quality experiences, our leadership team works with organizations across the globe to provide education and training solutions that help them improve patient care outcomes and reduce preventable harm.
Commitment to Health Equity
Health inequities reflect a complex web of systemic factors that exist nationally and can negatively impact the health of historically marginalized communities.
We believe every person deserves an equal opportunity to achieve their highest level of health, and we will be bold in addressing health inequities impacting our communities by ensuring an inclusive experience, delivering high-quality and safe care equitably, and giving support to those who face social barriers to living their healthiest life possible.
Education and training
- Executive Masters in Clinical Quality, Safety, and Leadership
- Graduate Certificates in Patient Safety and Leadership
- Academy for Emerging Leaders in Patient Safety
- Quality and Safety Physician Leadership Fellowship
Research programs
The MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety is a leader in science, innovation, and discovery of better care, quality experiences, and safety across the healthcare continuum. The Institute has a robust portfolio of research projects supported by federal and private institutions. One hallmark of the research program is its commitment to partnering with patients, family members, and caregivers in co-producing health innovations.
Advocacy
The MedStar Health Institute for Quality and Safety is led by some of the most experienced and visionary leaders in the nation who value innovative programs that drive lasting culture change and advocate for the safest, highest-quality healthcare. The Institute is a leader in patient and family engagement, CANDOR (Communication and Optimal Resolution), diagnosis improvement, bloodless medicine, and healthcare narratives.
Patient and Family Engagement (PFACQS®)
Patient and family advisory councils are a mechanism for embedding regular input and feedback into improvement work from the communities we serve. They advance community trust building and our national goal to ensure that care is truly patient centered. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other payors are now driving patient and family engagement through advisory councils as a strategy to improve outcomes, reduce cost, promote transparency and reinforce the joy and meaningfulness of healthcare work.
MedStar Center for Diagnostic Systems Safety
The MedStar Health Center for Diagnostic Systems Safety addresses diagnostic error using structured, evidence-based systems-engineering approaches, which when applied to healthcare have brought about significant improvements in care quality, value, patient safety, patient experience, and overall health outcomes. We provide scientific, educational, programmatic, and administrative leadership for diagnostic safety efforts across the MedStar system, with a focus on research, education, and innovation.
Bloodless medicine
We offer free consulting services for administrators and physician leaders wishing to establish a bloodless medicine and surgery program.
Quality and safety tools
In the rapid-changing healthcare environment, quick and easy access to usable tools and resources is becoming imperative. This page provides open-source information related to quality metrics and programs, quality improvement tools, patient and family engagement in patient safety, and communication and resolution programs.
Quality and patient safety
At MedStar Health, our vision to be the trusted leader in caring for people and advancing health will only be achieved by our unwavering commitment to both quality and patient safety. You can count on that commitment when you seek care at any of the MedStar Health hospitals, ambulatory locations, and other care sites. Your safety is our number one focus, and we know that focus will also result in the highest quality of care throughout our healthcare care network.
Contact us
We welcome your questions about our mission to improve patient care and outcomes while also reducing the global burden of preventable harm. To learn more, please