Healthcare Inspection Evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration’s National Patient Safety Program
"The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Healthcare Inspections (OHI) completed an evaluation of the Veterans Health Administration’s (VHA’s) National Patient Safety (NPS) Program. The purposes of the evaluation were to determine whether VHA’s NPS Program (1) has been effective in accomplishing its stated goal of preventing inadvertent harm to patients receiving VHA care and (2) has provided efficient and effective coordination, oversight, and continuous improvement.

Results and Recommendations
We concluded that VHA took important, positive steps in 1998 when it expanded existing patient safety activities and created the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS). VHA’s NPS Program has been the foundation for many national and international patient safety initiatives. We noted several opportunities to strengthen the NPS Program’s effectiveness, oversight, and continuous improvement..."