About Us

About the Foundation

Our Mission
(amended by the NPSF^® Board January 2003)

   Improve the Safety of Patients

We accomplish this through our efforts to:

• Identify and create a core body of knowledge;
• Identify pathways to apply the knowledge;
• Develop and enhance the culture of receptivity to patient safety;
• Raise public awareness and foster communications about patient safety; and
• Improve the status of the Foundation and its ability to meet its goals.

NPSF can make a long term, measurable difference by serving as a central voice, and

NPSF will lead the transition from a culture of blame to a culture of safety.

Our Vision
(amended by the NPSF^® Board January 2003)

The National Patient Safety Foundation is the indispensable resource for individuals and organizations committed to improving the safety of patients.

We Believe...
(amended by the NPSF^® Board November 1998)

• Patient safety is central to quality health care as reflected in the Hippocratic Oath: "Above All, Do No Harm".
• Prevention of patient injury, through early and appropriate response to evident and potential problems, is the key to patient safety.
• Continued improvement in patient safety is attainable only through establishing a culture of trust, honesty, integrity and open communications.
• An integrated body of scientific knowledge and the infrastructure to support its development are essential to advance patient safety significantly.
• Patient involvement in continuous learning and constant communication of information between care givers, organizations and the general public will improve patient safety.
• The system of health care is fallible and requires fundamental change to sustainably improve patient safety.

Our Definitions
(approved by the NPSF^® Board July 2003)

• PATIENT SAFETY
  The prevention of healthcare errors, and the elimination or mitigation of patient injury caused by healthcare errors.
  
• HEALTHCARE ERROR
  An unintended healthcare outcome caused by a defect in the delivery of care to a patient. Healthcare errors may be errors of commission (doing the wrong thing), omission (not doing the right thing), or execution (doing the right thing incorrectly). Errors may be made by any member of the healthcare team in any healthcare setting.

The National Patient Safety Foundation is a not-for-profit organization with 501(c)(3) status and all donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

NPSF^® Board

The National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) has a tier structure designed to allow the organization the ability to address the needs of the patient and improve patient safety in the delivery of health care.

The members of the Board of Directors, chaired by Pamela A. Thompson, MS, RN, FAAN, of Washington, DC, provide strategic and operational oversight and are vested with the Foundation’s fiduciary responsibility.

The larger Board of Governors, currently chaired by Gerald B. Hickson, MD of Nashville, TN, focuses on program direction in keeping with NPSF’s mission and fundraising to support initiatives.

The Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation, launched in 2007, functions as a think tank to define strategic paths and issue calls to action for the field of patient safety and is intended to provide vision and context for the many efforts underway within the health care system. Through its Roundtables, it will issue reports that will guide the work of the field and challenge the system to address the issues critical to making the system safer.

NPSF^® Officers

Pamela A. Thompson, MS, RN, FAAN
Chair

Gary S. Kaplan, MD, FACMPE
Vice-Chair

William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE
Treasurer

Charles G. Benda, PhD, CPCU, ARM
Secretary

Paul A. Gluck, MD
Immediate Past Chair

Diane C. Pinakiewicz, MBA
President

NPSF^® Board of Directors
(as of June, 2009)

Charles G. Benda, PhD, CPCU, ARM
Doug Bonacum, MBA, BS
Peter W. Carmel, MD
Jennifer Daley, MD, FACP
Susan Edgman-Levitan, PA
Donald J. Fager, JD
Paul A. Gluck, MD
Gerald B. Hickson, MD (ex-officio)
William F. Jessee, MD, FACMPE
Gary S. Kaplan, MD, FACMPE
Linda K. Kenney
Timothy R. Morse, CPCU
Dennis S. O'Leary, MD
David R. Page, MHA
Diane C. Pinakiewicz, MBA (ex-officio)
Pamela A. Thompson, MS, RN, FAAN
Barbara J. Youngberg, JD, MSW, BSN

NPSF^® Board of Governors

Melinda Abrams, MS
Gordon L. Alexander, Jr., MD
Richard E. Anderson, MD, FACP
Peter B. Angood, MD, FRCS(C), FACS, FCCM
James P. Bagian, MD, PE
Barbara M. Balik, RN, EdD
Ann Scott Blouin, PhD, MSN, MBA, RN
Richard Boothman, AB, JD
Mary Burkhardt, RPh, MS, FASHP
Rebecca R. Burkholder, JD
John Combes, MD
Jeffrey B. Cooper, PhD
Toni Cordell
Ilene Corina
Barbara DeBuono, MD, MPH
Sharon Dunn, MAS, BSN, RN
Timothy T. Flaherty, MD
Gail E. Harris, RN, MS, CIC
Gerald B. Hickson, MD (Chair)
Maulik S. Joshi, DrPH
Carol A. Ley, MD, MPH
Gregg S. Meyer, MD, MSc (Vice Chair)
J. Lloyd Michener, MD
Suzanne G. Mintz, MS
Julianne M. Morath, RN, MS
Mary Beth Navarra-Sirio, RN, MBA
Donald J. Palmisano, MD, JD
Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, FACP, FACMI
Mary A. Pittman, DrPH
Kathryn Rapala, JD, RN
Richard G. Roberts, MD, JD, FAAFP, FCLM
Pauline F. Robitaille, RN, MSN, CNOR
Susan E. Sheridan, MIM, MBA
Barry Silbaugh, MD
Saul N. Weingart, MD, PhD
Josie R. Williams, MD, MMM

Lucian Leape Institute at National Patient Safety Foundation

The Lucian Leape Institute at the National Patient Safety Foundation, launched in 2007, functions as a think tank to define strategic paths and issue calls to action for the field of patient safety and is intended to provide vision and context for the many efforts underway within the health care system. Through its Roundtables, it will issue reports that will guide the work of the field and challenge the system to address the issues critical to making the system safer.

Members

Lucian L. Leape, MD (Chair)
Donald M. Berwick, MD, MPP
Carolyn M. Clancy, MD
James B. Conway, MAM, CHE
Paul A. Gluck, MD (ex-officio)
James A. Guest
David Lawrence, MD
Julianne M. Morath, RN, MS
Dennis S. O'Leary, MD
Paul  O'Neill
Diane C. Pinakiewicz, MBA (President)

NPSF Board of Governors

Scope of Duties

• The Board of Governors will serve in an advisory capacity to both the Board of Directors and the Foundation as a whole and will have no fiduciary or formal management responsibilities within the organization.
• The Board of Governors will serve to promote and enhance the work of NPSF. It will do so by engaging key individuals in the work of the Foundation and by providing selective expertise as required.
• The Board of Governors membership will represent the diversity of stakeholders and parties interested in the mission of NPSF, including: professionals in the many disciplines committed to the patient safety agenda; leaders from companion organizations with patient safety as an element of their missions; and members of the public who bring skills, interests, prestige and prominence to the patient safety agenda. Number of members will be flexible to allow for full stakeholder representation and appropriate opportunity for interested parties.
• The Board of Governors will serve to broaden the range and scope of individuals with a deep knowledge of the Foundation’s work and purpose. In so doing, it is expected that members will be willing to publicly represent the Foundation, open up new avenues and opportunities for involvement and activities, and participate in philanthropic endeavors on behalf of the organization.
• The Board of Governors will serve as an option for continued meaningful involvement of those whose tenure on the Board of Directors has concluded, as well as a place for those who may potentially serve on the Board of Directors in the future to begin their work with NPSF. This body will also provide meaningful involvement for key individuals who are unable to serve in other roles because of time or other constraints.
• Selection to the Board of Governors will be based on an individual’s ability to further the mission and purpose of NPSF and requires a commitment to participate in and support the activities of the organization.
• The Chair of the Board of Governors, appointed by the Board of Directors through the Nominating Committee process, will hold an Ex-Officio position on the Board of Directors, ensuring coordination, synergy, and the optimization of strategic initiatives.
• With occasional exception, Members of the Board of Governors will fund their own travel expenses to meetings; however there may be funding for strategic activities that further NPSF purposes.
• It is anticipated that members of the Board of Governors will be available to serve on Committees and Councils and be superb resources for special projects, etc. In addition, it is expected that these members will facilitate the identification of others who share the Foundation’s common purpose and have the potential and interest to become involved on Boards, Committees or Councils.