Healthcare C-suite executives convene for ECRI roundtables exploring patient safety and quality care

White paper shares best practices and reflections from leaders on how prioritizing patient safety strengthens organizational resilience

WILLOW GROVE, Pa., Sept. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As pressures mount for health system leaders nationwide, ECRI convened four virtual roundtables with 17 C-suite healthcare leaders from across the country, representing integrated health systems, children's hospitals, rural providers, and national associations. The goal was to capture unfiltered insights into what truly drives and sustains patient safety and continuous improvement.

The white paper – published on World Patient Safety Day, Sept. 17 – is the first in a series of articles born from the ECRI C-Suite Roundtables featuring candid insights from healthcare leaders. Download the white paper.

ECRI President and CEO Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, and ECRI Chief Medical Officer Dheerendra Kommala, MD moderated the discussions.

"This is a tumultuous time for healthcare leaders and frontline providers in our nation," said Schabacker. "We launched this roundtable series to dive deeper into the issues they're facing, and how they elevate patient safety despite these challenges – from shrinking resources to medical misinformation to persistent causes of preventable harm. Together we share what's truly moving the needle. Only by learning from one another and sharing best practices can we break the cycles that have long held our industry back."

Participants included (in alphabetical order):

• Rick Bassett, MSN, RN, APRN, ACNS-BC, CCRN, FCNS, LSSGB, President of the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, and Adult Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist at St. Luke's Health System
• Richard Bates, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Thunder Bay Community Health Service
• Dana Bledsoe, DHA, MBA, MS, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, Chief Executive Officer, Ochsner Children's Health
• Matthew Davis, MD, MAPP, Executive Vice President, Enterprise Physician-in-Chief, and Chief Scientific Officer, Nemours Children's Health
• Mindy Dunkerley, MBA, MSN, RN, Chief Quality Officer, Independence Health System
• Michael Fiorina, DO, FAAFP, Chief Medical Officer, Independence Health System
• Jonathan Gleason, MD, EVP and Chief Clinical Officer, Prisma Health
• Djana Harp, MD, MS, MBA, Chief Medical Officer, Norwalk Community Health Center
• Omar Hasan, MD, MS, MPH, Chief Quality Officer, MaineHealth
• Mark Leahey, President & CEO, Medical Device Manufacturers Association
• Kristie Lenze, CEO/CFO, Keystone Rural Health Consortia
• Tara Jo Manal, PT, DPT, FAPTA, Vice President of Scientific Affairs, American Physical Therapy Association
• William G. Morice II, MD, PhD, CEO, Mayo Clinic Laboratories
• Michael Seim, MD, Chief Quality Officer, WellSpan
• Anne Marie Watkins, DNP, MSHCA, RN, CENP, Chief Nursing Executive, UCI Health
• Jacqueline Webb, CPNP, Quality, Risk, and Lab Director, Tri-Area Community Health
• James Werth, Jr., PhD, ABPP, Chief Executive Officer, Tri-Area Community Health

Key findings from the roundtables include:

• Proactive systems prevent harm. Leaders are shifting from reactive models to proactive approaches by hardwiring learning into daily operations and embedding human factors into workflows.
  
  
• System design and standardization saves lives. Safety issues can cause longer stays and liability. Well-designed, standardized systems make the safe choice the easy choice and ensure consistent outcomes across sites.
  
  
• Safety is a sound business strategy. Health systems that embed safety and create reliable systems can reduce extended stays, boost staff engagement, strengthen payer negotiations, increase patient satisfaction, and improve margins.
  
  
• DOWNLOAD THE WHITE PAPER FOR MORE

There was broad consensus among C-Suite Roundtable participants on the challenges and the path forward. The groups also discussed these challenges, slated for forthcoming publications in the series:

• How organizational culture shapes safety reporting and outcomes
• Navigating care delivery without trusted federal agencies as beacons of truth
• Role of boards and executive leaders in safety and quality

About ECRI

ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on technology evaluation and safety, ECRI is respected and trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. For more than fifty-five years, ECRI has built its reputation on integrity and disciplined rigor, with an unwavering commitment to independence and strict conflict-of-interest rules. ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ECRI acquired The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) in 2020 to address one of the most prolific causes of preventable harm in healthcare, medication errors; then acquired The Just Culture Company in 2024 to transform healthcare workplace cultures – thus creating one of the largest healthcare quality and safety entities in the world. Visit www.ecri.org to learn more.

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SOURCE ECRI