PUBLIC COMMENTS

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) is a patient and family-led network of individual patient safety advocates and strategic partner organizations working to elevate ensuring patient safety and achieve diagnostic excellence as a public health priority in the United States. Although led by

users of care, our nationwide network includes a wide range of stakeholders: patients, family caregivers, healthcare providers, researchers, educators, employers, systems safety experts, and stakeholder organization leaders, all dedicated to expediting the systemic changes needed to reduce preventable health care harm.

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) is grateful for the opportunity to respond to this Request for Information. PFPS US is a national network led by patients and families, working alongside healthcare providers, systems engineers, researchers, educators, and other key stakeholders to elevate patient safety as a national public health priority. Our network includes individuals, as well as nonprofit and for-profit organizations. Our shared goal is a healthcare system that assures the safety and well-being of profit organizations. Our shared goal is a healthcare system that assures the safety and well-being of

improvement. Improving safety and accountability for the safety of care will also reduce unnecessary healthe transparency, measurement, and public reporting, fortified by patient/family engagement, as drivers of improvement. Improving safety and accountability for the safety of care will also reduce unnecessary health care spending, waste, and associated taxpayer burden.

RE: RIN 0938-AV45 Medicare Program; Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System and Policy Changes and Fiscal Year 2026 Rates; Requirements for Quality Programs; and Other Policy Changes

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) is the leading patient and family-led network of individual patient safety advocates in the U.S. We are families who have experienced medical error, buried our children from these errors, and we have dedicated our passion to advance safer, more transparent healthcare for Americans. The work of the OIG is essential to protect patients and protect taxpayers as it is the federal law

enforcement agency to oversee the HHS programs to identify fraud in claims and in reporting of medical error.

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) is a patient and family led network of individual patient safety advocates and strategic partner organizations. We are the United States branch of the international Patients for Patient Safety program, organized to prioritize – and sustain prioritization – of patient safety as a public health priority in the United States. Our vision is a world in which no one is harmed in healthcare and every patient receives safe and respectful care, every time, everywhere. PFPS US is dedicated to pursuing this goal in the United States.

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) is the United States’ branch of the World Health

Organization’s international network of patient safety advocates. Led by patients and family

members of patients who have experienced avoidable harm in U.S. healthcare organizations,

we came together in 2021 out of concern for the drift in prioritization of patient safety as an

urgent health system crisis, which research shows is the 3rd largest cause of preventable

death in the United States. We are committed to partnering with other public and private sector

stakeholders to advance safety, transparency about safety performance, and a systems

approach to harm prevention in the U.S. and beyond.

Patients for Patients US (PFPS US) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Coalition for Health AI’s (CHAI) Assurance Standards Guide and Reporting Checklist.

Organized in 2021, PFPS US is the U.S. chapter of Patients for Patient Safety, a patient-led network of safety and equity advocates affiliated with the World Health Organization. Our focus is advancing transparency, accountability and patient & family engagement in pursuit of the goal

of zero preventable harm for all users of healthcare in the U.S. The PFPS US network includes over 150 patient safety champions” who have been oriented to our work, as well as more than 30 organizational partners who work collaboratively with us to advocate for safer, more transparent care in the U.S.

Each year, The Leapfrog Group’s research team reviews the literature and convenes expert panels to ensure the Leapfrog

Hospital Survey aligns with the latest science and the public reporting needs of purchasers and consumers. Once the list of

proposed changes is assembled for next year’s Survey, Leapfrog releases that list for public comment. The public comments

received are then reviewed by Leapfrog’s research team and used to re1ne the Survey before it is 1nalized. The Survey is then

pilot tested with a diverse group of hospitals across the country. Following the pilot test, Survey content and scoring are

1nalized for launch on April 1.

Just as physiologic vital signs monitor patient health and facilitate clear communication between providers, we propose five ‘vital signs’ of artificial intelligence (AI safety in medicine that can be continuously monitored to protect patient wellbeing. These critical indicators—transparency, safety, effectiveness, fairness, and privacy—provide a framework for measuring AI system health and fostering communication between stakeholders about AI safety.

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) is a national patient-led initiative focused on advancing a safer, smarter, more patient-centered healthcare system. We welcome CMS’s request for input on opportunities to reduce regulatory burden and modernize administrative processes — and offer the

following responses with one overarching aim: to reduce the true burden of preventable harm borne by patients, families, and the system as a whole.

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) appreciates the opportunity to submit testimony on the FY 2026 Labor/HHS Appropriations bill.

PFPS US is a patient and family led network of individual patient safety advocates and strategic partner organizations working to elevate patient safety as a public health priority in the United States. Although

led by users of care, our nationwide network includes a wide range of stakeholders: patients, family caregivers, healthcare providers, researchers, educators, employers, systems safety experts and

stakeholder organization leaders, all dedicated to expediting the systemic changes needed to reduce preventable health care harm.

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) appreciates the opportunity to contribute to NIH’s strategic planning for artificial intelligence (AI). PFPS US is a national network led by patients and families, working alongside healthcare providers, systems engineers, researchers, educators, and other key stakeholders to elevate patient safety as a national public health priority. Our network includes individuals, as well as nonprofit and for-profit organizations.  Our shared goal is a healthcare system that centers the safety and well-being of patients in every setting, at every step of care. Our policy priorities align with the Administration’s emphasis on stronger, technology-enabled transparency, measurement, and public reporting, fortified by patient/family engagement, as drivers of quality and safety improvement. 

Patients for Patient Safety US (PFPS US) appreciates the opportunity to respond to the Department’s call for public input on reducing regulatory burden and unleashing innovation in health care. PFPS US is a national network led by patients and families, working alongside healthcare providers, systems engineers, researchers, educators, and other key stakeholders to elevate patient safety as a national public health priority. Our network includes individuals, as well as nonprofit and for-profit organizations.  Our shared goal is a healthcare system that centers the safety and well-being of patients in every setting, at every step of care. Our policy priorities align with the Administration’s emphasis on transparency, measurement, and public reporting, fortified by patient/family engagement, as drivers of improvement. Improving safety and accountability for safety of care will also reduce unnecessary health care spending, waste, and associated taxpayer burden.