Patient Safety

Culture Surveys: SCORE & HSOPS

The Safety, Communication, Operational Reliability and Engagement (SCORE) Survey yields valuable insight to unit culture and employee engagement and the results can be used to drive positive change. Data from the survey is also used to monitor progress for hospitals participating in the MHA Keystone Center high reliability initiative.

 As a member of the MHA Keystone Center PSO, hospitals have the opportunity biennially to administer a safety culture survey. Hospitals can opt to administer either the SCORE Survey or the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Hospital Survey on Patient Safety (HSOPS). 

MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award

The MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award celebrates patient and staff safety through the recognition of individuals or teams in the MHA Keystone Center PSO hospitals who demonstrate a commitment to the prevention of patient or staff harm.

The MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award Toolkit was created in 2017 to help healthcare organizations design, implement and sustain a localized recognition program. The toolkit consists of two brochures and it’s intended to be a guide to create a tailored program that works within member organizations.

An electronic MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award Toolkit is available on the MHA Community site. It provides links to templates – posters, logos, certificates, etc., that can be downloaded and printed.

Learn more about the MHA Keystone Center Speak-up! Award, review award criteria or make a nomination on its webpage.

The MHA Keystone Center PSO educates members on all activities covered under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (PSQIA). The MHA Keystone Center PSO works with member hospitals to ensure they understand the PSQIA and their applicable state peer review laws.

MHA Keystone Center PSO members voluntarily report patient safety events for analysis and translation into actionable cultural and safety improvements. The MHA Keystone Center PSO collects data based on the AHRQ Common Formats in a data portal which provides real-time surveillance of patient safety trends. MHA Keystone Center PSO staff and facility administrators are able to review reported data and identify individual, state and national trends. Trends from event data are used to inform PSO learning opportunities, member PSO alerts and guide safety and quality improvement efforts.

The MHA Keystone Center PSO offers a variety of opportunities for members to exchange patient safety experiences, discuss best practices, network, and learn in an open, uninhibited and legally protected environment. Members are privy to in-person events, educational webinars and safe table meetings.

MHA Keystone Center PSO Annual Meeting
The MHA Keystone Center PSO Annual Meeting works with members to adopt a strong cultural stance on patient safety by emphasizing the importance of improvement at the organizational and unit levels. At the MHA Keystone Center PSO Annual Meeting, attendees focus on the delivery of results, broad safety goals, and specific areas, such as effective root cause analysis and culture improvement. 

Safe Tables
A safe table is a unique and interactive shared learning forum intended to enhance healthcare safety and quality. By leveraging the MHA Keystone Center’s legal protections under federal and state law, healthcare professionals can gather to review patient safety and quality issues via candid and transparent discussions. Participants are able to share stories of serious adverse events (that omit all patient- and provider-specific information), tools, best practices and more. Only members of the MHA Keystone Center PSO are eligible to attend these quarterly safe tables. 

RCA² (Root Cause Analysis and Action) Training
Root Cause Analysis & Action (RCA²) workshops are tailored to healthcare professionals who wish to increase their knowledge of the Root Cause Analysis (RCA) process. Training sessions will be exclusively offered throughout the year to MHA Keystone Center PSO members, and will assist in the implementation of sustainable systems-based improvements within their organizations. Participants will be given an introduction to RCA² elements and learn how to improve their own RCA process.

For a list of upcoming safe tables and other MHA Keystone Center PSO educational events, visit the MHA Education & Events page