Deadline looms for CMS patient safety reporting requirements

Editor's Note

Starting October 1, US hospitals participating in Medicare's Inpatient Quality Reporting Program will need to report adherence to 25 patient safety best practices, as mandated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

According to a September 4 report from the Association of Health Care Journalists, the new "Patient Safety Structural Measure" aims to address preventable harms that increased during the pandemic by emphasizing proactive strategies over traditional outcomes metrics. Included practices include addressing safety at board meetings, tracking safety disparities, and maintaining communication and resolution programs.

According to sources cited in the article, this shift from lagging indicators to leading indicators will help hospitals build the structures and processes needed to improve safety outcomes. For the public at large, it promises to shed light on which practices are and are not in place. 

Hospitals will need to affirm they meet all criteria in five domains—leadership commitment, strategic planning, culture of safety, accountability, and patient engagement—to earn up to five points, the Association of Health Care Journalists reports. These scores will be publicly reported on CMS’s Care Compare website, with first disclosures expected in 2026. While no penalties will be applied for low scores, hospitals that do not report data will see reduced Medicare payments starting in 2027.

As detailed in the article, the American Hospital Association (AHA) opposes the measure despite support from patient safety advocates like Patients for Patient Safety US. Regardless, the new requirement signals a significant shift in federal efforts to standardize safety practices across healthcare facilities.