Our Committment to Patient Safety
At SSM Health, we commit to providing safe and exceptional quality care. We commit to eliminating preventable harm. We have committed to a just culture. We focus on understanding the system and process failures that lead to safety events. We don't blame our teams. This creates a safe space for employees, patients, and families. They can speak up and share ideas to improve patient safety and prevent errors.
Components of our Safety Program include:
We have tiered escalation huddles.
SSM Health is dedicated to safety and quality. Tiered huddles provide a space for open and honest communication. Tiered huddles take place at all levels of the ministry. They start at the department level and go up to the executive level. Communication in the tiered escalation process goes both ways. It builds a shared understanding that focuses on safety and clinical excellence.
Shared actions for exceptional results.
SSM Health is dedicated to safe care. This commitment helps us share knowledge throughout SSM Health. Safety moments start meetings. They share lessons learned and help reduce potential harm.
A safety moment is a short message or story. It highlights the importance of safety and its impact on:
- Clinical quality
- Patient experience
- Team engagement
- Efficiency
- Improvement
It reminds us why safety matters.
These stories show how SSM Health puts safety first. For lessons learned from our root cause analyses, we share key points on closed-loop communication. This ensures that actions are fully realized.
Utilizing great catch awards and near-miss reporting structure.
Our secure online safety reporting system lets any employee report a safety event that could cause harm or injury.
SSM Health wants employees to report events, even if no patient harm occurred. Reporting "near misses" helps our patient safety team, care providers, and ministry leaders spot system issues. This way, they can put in place solutions before any harm reaches the patient.
We celebrate employees who share “near misses” with our Great Catch program. Our Great Catch program promotes safety and awareness. It encourages everyone to recognize and report unsafe conditions before they lead to harm.
Our leadership performs “Go & See” safety rounds.
Senior leaders show frontline staff that they care about patient safety. They also build lasting relationships with clinical units.
- Emphasize accountability for safety among staff and senior leadership.
- Facilitate a non-punitive, just culture of safety.
- Encourage reporting of safety opportunities.
- Speak regularly with frontline staff regarding improving our systems and processes.
Patient safety is the cornerstone of quality health care.
SSM Health is committed to providing you with information that enables you to take an active role in obtaining the safest care possible. You can be assured that your safety is our top priority at every location across our SSM Health ministries. The following tips can help you engage with your health care team to keep you safe and help you have a positive experience.
You can and should ask questions.
We encourage our patients and their advocates to be actively involved in their care. We believe that the more you know about your condition, the more successful your treatment will be. Don’t be afraid to ask staff to explain what they are doing and why. You should expect your SSM Health provider to be ready and willing to answer your questions.
Take notes while speaking to your provider.
Write down important information your doctor tells you about your condition and your treatment plan. Consider seeking a second opinion. The more information you have about the options available to you, the more confident you will be in the decisions your team makes about your care.
Keep an up-to-date health history.
Write down your health history. Be sure to include a list of any medications you are currently taking, including any prescription medications, over-the-counter treatments, and any dietary supplements, and let your team know about any allergies you may have, such as to medications, food, or latex. Share this health history with anyone who is providing you care.
Identify yourself and check provider identification.
Expect all health care workers to introduce themselves to you and to wear picture identification badges. Your healthcare team should ask you to identify yourself when going for tests and procedures or before giving you any medication. Make sure to tell your provider if you think he or she has you confused with someone else.
Verify medicataions or treatments are for you.
Verify that any medication or treatment is for you, especially if you don’t recognize it. Your team should also ask you to confirm where you are having a procedure and/or mark the surgical site.
Always speak up if you have concerns.
Never hesitate to speak up if you have questions or concerns about your care. If something doesn’t seem right, tell your doctor or nurse right away.