[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 237 (Monday, December 12, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76046-76048]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-26897]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Request for Information on Creating a National Healthcare System 
Action Alliance To Advance Patient Safety

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS.

ACTION: Notice of request for information.

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SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), on 
behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), seeks 
public comment about advancing patient and healthcare workforce safety 
through the development of a National Healthcare System Action Alliance 
to Advance Patient Safety (Action Alliance) in partnership with 
healthcare systems, patients, families and caregivers, HHS

[[Page 76047]]

and other Federal agencies, and other stakeholders to support sustained 
improvements in patient safety. Specifically, the RFI seeks input on 
how the Action Alliance can be most effective. In addition, the RFI 
seeks comments about innovative models of care, approaches, promising 
strategies, and solutions for overcoming some of the common impediments 
to safety being experienced in healthcare today. This request for 
information will inform HHS's work and more specifically the work of 
the Action Alliance.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by January 26, 2023. 
AHRQ will not respond individually to responders but will consider all 
comments submitted by the deadline.

ADDRESSES: Please submit all responses to the following email address: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Milli O'Brien, AHRQ Executive 
Secretary via email at [email protected] or call 301-427-1919.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: AHRQ, on behalf of HHS, is seeking public 
comment about the development of a National Healthcare System Patient 
Safety Action Alliance (Action Alliance) as a vehicle to advance 
patient and workforce safety. The Action Alliance is intended to 
support improvements across healthcare delivery settings (e.g., 
hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, ambulatory care settings, home 
care) and between settings of care. The Action Alliance will welcome 
all types of healthcare systems, including public, not-for-profit, and 
for-profit health systems; rural, suburban, and urban systems; and 
systems focused on caring for diverse populations. While focused on the 
delivery of care, the Action Alliance will bring together multiple 
stakeholders including healthcare systems, clinicians, patients, 
families, caregivers, professional societies, organizations focused on 
patient and workforce safety, the digital healthcare sector, healthcare 
services researchers, industry, employers, payors, and anyone committed 
to advancing patient and workforce safety. Recognizing that healthcare 
is not safe until it is safe for all, the Alliance will consider issues 
of equity as it strives to advance patient and workforce safety.
    As HHS renews its commitment to advancing patient and workforce 
safety, it recognizes that the nation's healthcare systems and 
professionals have long been committed to patient and workforce safety. 
The pandemic uncovered weaknesses and inequities in the healthcare 
delivery system that have negatively affected patient outcomes and our 
workforce. HHS also recognizes that as the U.S. healthcare delivery 
systems recover, emerge, and transform from the COVID-19 pandemic there 
are many priorities, including, but not limited to improving equity, 
addressing staffing shortages, caring for people with Long COVID, 
harnessing the potential of telehealth and data sciences, responding to 
climate change, expanding access to behavioral healthcare, and 
supporting the well-being of workers. Patient and workforce safety, 
however, are integral to all of these priorities. Patient and workforce 
safety are not separate priorities they are central to everything 
healthcare systems do.
    In order to make the Action Alliance as effective as possible, HHS 
seeks information on the following questions:
    1. What can HHS bring to the Action Alliance in terms of 
coordination, alignment, tools, training, and other non-financial 
resources to support the effectiveness of the Action Alliance in 
assisting healthcare delivery systems and others in advancing patient 
and healthcare worker safety?
    2. How can the voluntary Action Alliance most effectively support 
healthcare delivery systems and other stakeholders in advancing patient 
and workforce safety? Are there specific priorities for different types 
of systems or setting of care? What stakeholders should be part of the 
Action Alliance to make it most effective?
    3. What are other national patient and workforce safety initiatives 
that the Action Alliance should be aware of and how can the Action 
Alliance best collaborate, coordinate, and avoid duplication with them?
    4. How can the Action Alliance best support healthcare systems in 
advancing healthcare equity within their patient and workforce safety 
efforts, including through redesign of care delivery?
    5. Are there specific practices or innovations that healthcare 
delivery systems or others have implemented during or post-pandemic, 
including practices focused on populations that experience health 
disparities and individuals living in rural communities, that others 
could benefit from learning about? Please share any specific details 
and sharable outcomes data regarding innovations if applicable.
    6. What are the main challenges healthcare delivery systems and 
others are facing in meeting their commitments to advancing patient and 
healthcare worker safety as they emerge from the pandemic? Are there 
challenges that are specific to different types of systems, settings of 
care, or populations of people?
    HHS is interested in answers to all of the questions listed above, 
but respondents are welcome to address as many or as few as they choose 
and may provide additional information about how to make the Action 
Alliance most effective. When responding, please identify the question 
to which a particular answer corresponds.

Who should respond?

    Anyone may respond. For example, HHS seeks information from:
     Healthcare system leaders (e.g., CEOs, CMOs, Boards of 
Directors).
     Healthcare delivery organizations.
     Clinicians and other healthcare personnel who work to 
provide safe, effective care to patients.
     Healthcare quality leaders whose work supports refining 
clinical practice and providing data for the purpose of improvement.
     People, their families, and caregivers who have 
experienced a harm or a ``close call'' event as part of their 
interaction with the healthcare delivery system.
     Researchers and implementers developing interventions to 
improve patient and workforce safety.
     Clinical decision support developers who have insights 
into interventions that would support clinicians in making care safer 
for both patients and healthcare workers.
     Patient advocacy groups and organizations focused on 
safety and health equity.
     Clinical professional societies.
     Payers.
     Health IT vendors who implement and manage health IT and 
other systems that may support patient and workforce safety.
     Organizations that facilitate health information exchange 
(i.e., regional, or local health information exchanges, vendor-driven 
networks, and others) who may support sharing of healthcare quality and 
safety data across systems.
     Representatives from human service agencies and/or 
community organizations, or people with experience in addressing social 
determinants of health and reducing healthcare disparities for patients 
and communities.
     Higher education institutions that train clinicians and 
healthcare personnel.
    This RFI is for planning purposes only and should not be construed 
as a policy, solicitation for applications, or as an obligation on the 
part of the Government to provide support for any ideas in response to 
it. HHS will use the information submitted in response to this RFI at 
its discretion and will not

[[Page 76048]]

provide comments to any respondent's submission. However, responses to 
this RFI may be reflected in future initiatives, solicitation(s), or 
policies. The information provided will be analyzed and may appear in 
reports. Respondents will not be identified in any published reports. 
Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to 
acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to 
respondents with respect to any information submitted. No proprietary, 
classified, confidential or sensitive information should be included in 
your response. The contents of all submissions may be made available to 
the public in the future. Submitted materials should therefore be 
publicly available or be able to be made public.

    Dated: December 7, 2022.
Marquita Cullom,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 2022-26897 Filed 12-9-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-P