2016 was certainly an eventful year in healthcare, with some important topics taking center stage, including: national recognition of the opioid crisis, a sharper critique on national figures of medical errors, and the rise of new communication models to strengthen responses after patient harm. From the good news, to the bad, to the controversial — below we recap the top five healthcare stories of the year that had important implications for patient safety.

This Week's "Friday 5":
The Biggest Stories of 2016

1) Medical Error | Medical error — the third leading cause of death in the US: Read Report.

2) Opioids & Pain Management | Congress Passes Landmark Opioid Bill — the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA): Read Press Release. | CMS responds to the opioid epidemic with critical changes to HCAHPS surveys: Read Press Release.

3) Communication Resolution | Communication Resolution Programs Begin to Take Shape: See Our CRP Page.

4) Health Disparities | CMS Office of Minority Health Designed an Interactive Map for Mapping Health Disparities Across the US: See Map.

5) Surgical Ban | Senate committee calls for ban on surgeons conducting simultaneous operations: Read Article.



UPCOMING WEBINAR


Celebrating 2016 & Looking Forward to 2017

This year has been filled with new activities and exciting developments in the work of the WPSC and its committed members! Join us January 25th from 12 - 1PM as our Program Director, Kelly Veit, MHA details the work of the WPSC in 2016, and what to expect in 2017. We’ll be picking up where our 2015 Year in Review left off; detailing the progress on our new strategic plan, and programmatic goals. Learn more about new and ongoing participation benefits to your WPSC membership, as well as growing opportunities to share your important work with a broad network of fellow patient safety professionals and leaders. We’ll also be giving you a teaser on what to expect at our 15^th Annual Northwest Patient Safety Conference, coming up on May 11th, 2017. This webinar is open and free to ALL!  Register now.