Patient Safety Predictions for 2026, Part 1
PSQH reached out to experts throughout healthcare to get their predictions for what will happen in patient safety and healthcare quality in 2026. We received so many predictions this time around that we’re breaking it up into two parts. Here’s Part 1 of what they had to say.
Healthcare and Cybersecurity: Math Always Favors Attackers
Bad actors have had to evolve with the times. More PHI is hosted on the cloud and levels of protection are much higher than they were in the past. Where once a successful attack could allow access to your entire system or database, modern techniques make it nearly impossible to get access to everything.
New IHI CEO Urges ‘Intentional Collaboration’ at Forum Keynote
In the keynote address of the 37th IHI Forum, Institute for Healthcare Improvement President and CEO Sylvia Trent-Adams emphasized the need for healthcare leaders to collaborate.
New Journal Article Highlights Pathway to Improve Parkinson’s Care
The article provides a practical pathway to operationalize the CMS’s Age-Friendly Hospital Measure, translating a nationally recognized, widely adopted framework for older adults into disease-specific action that reduces preventable harm for a high-risk population—those living with Parkinson’s disease.
Kaiser Permanente to Pay $46M for Patient Data Breach
The Oakland-based health system will pay at least $46 million and as much as $47.5 million to settle a class action lawsuit filed by several patients who said their information was caught up in KP’s consumer-tracking programs, which can share data with Microsoft, Google, X (Twitter) and Adobe.
CommonSpirit Health Making Gains in Quality and Patient Safety
Quality and patient safety are top concerns for CMOs at health systems and hospitals. CommonSpirit Health has been posting impressive results for quality and patient safety in recent years.
IV Hydration Clinics: A Hot Concept Weighed Down by Risks
IV hydration clinics are rife with risks that should concern current and potential operators, not to mention consumers themselves. Understanding their scope and managing them effectively needs to be priority for the sake of patient safety and, ultimately, business sustainability.
3 Key Approaches to Addressing Physician Burnout
Physician burnout has several negative consequences at healthcare organizations, including deterioration in quality of care, compromised patient safety such as medical errors, and reduced physician retention.
Should Nurse Practitioners Have Full Practice Authority?
Wisconsin was one of the most recent states to grant NPs full practice authority earlier in August. This means that APRNs will have their own licenses and be able to operate independently as certified nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists, and NPs.
Leapfrog’s Latest Safety Grades Look at Impact of System Affiliation
With the release today of its fall 2025 Hospital Safety Grades, The Leapfrog Group found that 90% of hospitals with a grade are part of a health system. This was the first time Leapfrog analyzed hospital performance by health system, finding that 94% of hospitals receiving A grades were affiliated with a system.