In her first official site visit as chief safety and transformation officer for Press Ganey, Tejal K. Gandhi, M.D., met with leaders from Inspira Health to learn more about the health system’s successful patient safety transformation. Using the science of High Reliability as a foundation and in partnership with Press Ganey, Inspira has developed a culture of safety that brought about a dramatic reduction in preventable serious harm.
“I’ve heard really great things about the work going on here at Inspira, particularly in the area of patient safety,” said Gandhi. “I came to listen and learn, and to think about how we can continue to work together to improve.”
Inspira began its transformation to become a High Reliability Organization in 2015. This initiative included the training of more than 6,000 Inspira employees and physicians in the leader behaviors and error prevention tools of high reliability; ensuring safety awareness through Daily Safety Briefings across the health system; leader rounding to engage staff about any unit-specific concerns; and the development of more than 200 trained, unit-based safety coaches. All of these elements comprise Inspira’s Safety Management System.
“We believe high reliability is the chassis. You can improve everything—patient safety, the patient experience, engagement—using the science of high reliability,” said Gandhi. “Through their commitment, Inspira has become a leader in the field by demonstrating how you can adopt high reliability across a large network. The field will learn from you.”
Gandhi, a nationally recognized expert in patient safety, previously served as the chief clinical officer at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. In 2017, she was named to Modern Healthcare magazine’s “50 Most Influential Clinical Executives.” She received her M.D. and Master of Public Health degrees from Harvard Medical School and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and trained at Duke University Medical Center. She is also co-chair of the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety.
