Coalition Urges Creation of National Patient Safety Board

Prior to COVID-19, medical errors were the third-leading cause of death in the United States, after heart disease and cancer. A coalition of healthcare organizations and experts is calling for the creation of an independent federal agency, the National Patient Safety Board (NPSB), that would be modeled in part on the National Transportation Safety Board.

The NPSB would improve and promote public health and welfare by monitoring and anticipating adverse events, creating recommendations and solutions to prevent medical error, and bringing lessons into practice.