There are many organizations pioneering the way to safer health care for all. In this section of our website, you can browse categories to help you more easily find an organization to fit your specific needs. This is by no means an all-encompassing list, but should serve as a starting point for gathering information.
Federal Government
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is a free of charge, public national database which receives its data from the state government licensing board. The specific options available on the website include: clinical information, such as effective health care, preventive services, and clinical practice guidelines; funding opportunities; research findings; specific population information; public health preparedness; consumer and patient information; data and surveys; and quality and patient safety information. - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, the foremost organization in the United States concerning patient safety and human services. The website includes health and safety topics, publications and products, and data and statistics. - Healthfinder.gov
Healthfinder.gov is a government website where patients and consumers can find information and tools for healthy living and healthcare safety. Healthfinder.gov has resources on a wide range of health topics selected from over 1,600 government and non-profit organizations to bring you “the best, the latest, and the most reliable health information on the Internet”. It has strict quality guidelines and therefore does not accept advertisements or endorse products. Instead, it offers only information and resources that has been both reviewed and selected. It offers an encyclopedia of terms, personal health tools, the latest in heath news and a section in which patients can find services such as health care providers, health centers, home health care, and public libraries. Also available is a searchable health organization directory (either by name or health topic). - Medicare
The website for Medicare offers numerous resources, including billing, publications, and Medicaid enrollment and appeals. The website also provides a participating physician directory and information on prescription drugs. - Medwatch
Medwatch, the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program, is available to both health care professionals and the public. It offers clinical information and discusses safety problems, such as drugs, medical devices, and biological products. - National Center For Patient Safety (NCPS)
Established in 1999, the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) strives to create safety within and throughout the Veterans Health Administration. The NCPS website includes a patient-specific section, along with a newsroom, publications, and resource areas. - National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is a Federal agency that supports and aids medical research. The website offers browsable health categories and links to various health topics. - Partnership for Patients
The Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs, a new public-private partnership, was launched by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to help improve the quality, safety, and affordability of health care. The Partnership for Patients brings together leaders of major hospitals, employers, physicians, nurses, and patient advocates, along with state and federal governments, in a shared effort to make hospital care safer, more reliable and less costly. Although the aim is to reduce all causes of harm in the health care system, two top goals are to keep patients from getting injured or sicker and to help patients heal without complication.
Health Care Resources
- American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA), is an association of Health Information Management (HIM) and is composed of 50,000 members whose main objective is to provide the public with the best health care possible. AHIMA was started in 1928 to ensure better quality of medical records and is still devoted to assisting the public. - Center for Medical Consumers
The Center for Medical Consumers focuses on both national and statewide attempts at better health care. It is a non-profit advocacy organization that receives its funds from private donators and subscriptions from newsletters. It is also supported by the Judson Memorial Church. The website contains many helpful articles concerning patient safety. - Citizens For Health
Citizens for Health is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy group that focuses on making healthy choices concerning diet, drugs, medicinal herbs, and wellness as a whole. There are many helpful news articles, a resource center, and a consumer center. - Compassionate Friends
Compassionate Friends is a non-profit and national support organization that helps parents, siblings, grandparents, and others to grieve in a healthy way after the death of a child. Information is provided on how to be supportive to those in mourning. - ECRI Institute
The ECRI Institute is an independent nonprofit with more than 40 years of experience researching the best approaches to improving patient care. They provide unbiased, evidence-based research, information, and advice on patient safety; quality and risk management; emerging healthcare technologies; and medical devices. - Families USA
Families USA is non-profit, non-partisan, 501(c)3 organization that works hard to achieve high-quality, comprehensive, and affordable health care for all Americans. The website includes issue areas (such as Medicare, prescriptions, and minority health) as well as resources and resource centers. - Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, MA. Its focus is to improve world-wide health care. The website features programs, topics, community, workspace, results, and product areas. - National Academies Press (NAP)
The National Academies Press (NAP) provides reports on patient safety. These reports include catalogs for sale and free online articles. Topic sections on the website include agriculture, education, food and nutrition, and health and medicine. - National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP)
The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) works to maximize the safe use of medications and increase awareness of medication errors through open communication, increased reporting, and promotion of medication error prevention strategies. - National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE)
The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) is a non-profit coalition striving to stimulate and improve the communication of information on the appropriate use of medicines to consumers and health care professionals. NCPIE develops programs, provides educational resources, and offers services to advance the shared mission of its members. - Partnership for Patient Safety (P4PS)
The Partnership for Patient Safety (P4PS®) is a patient-centered initiative to advance the reliability of healthcare systems worldwide. P4PS initiates focused partnerships and joint ventures with organizations and individuals that share the core values and objectives of achieving a health care system that is authentically patient-centered and systems based. - Patient Safety Institute
The Patient Safety Institute is non-profit organization led by consumer, hospital, and physician advocates. It works to allow health care providers access to Personal Healthcare Records (PHRs)with permission. The website offers news, resources, and various articles. - The Joint Commission
The Joint Commission is an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 19,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. Their mission is to continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. Patients and consumers can find valuable information in the form of guides, videos, and literature on their page for the general public. - World Health Organization (WHO)
The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries, and monitoring and assessing health trends. Rather than having a page specifically directed toward patients or families, WHO organizes their resource information by health topic.
Medical Organizations
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)offers information concerning orthopaedics, the study of problems and solutions involving the skeletal system, muscles, joints, and ligaments. Topics include arthritis, join replacement, osteoporosis, patient-centered care, patient stories, tumors, and women’s health. - American Hospital Association (AHA)
Founded in 1898, the American Hospital Association (AHA) represents many of the country's hospitals, health care networks, and the patient and family responsibilities that accompany them. It is comprised of nearly 5,000 hospitals, networks, and health care providers, and it also includes 37,000 individual members. AHA works to meet members’ needs and opinions through representation and advocacy activities. - American Medical Association (AMA)
The American Medical Association (AMA) strives to help physicians with professional resources, an agenda, and a newsroom. The patient section of their website includes a Doctor Finder, a database of more than 690,000 physicians in the United States. The Doctor Finder section includes frequently asked questions, search hints, and member benefits and services information.
Medication Safety & Pharmaceutical Organizations
- American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is a national professional association that represents pharmacists who practice in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, home care, and other components of health care systems. Their website offers extensive information for patients, including tips and tools for safe medication practices and step-by-step instructions on how to administer different forms of medication. - Be MedWise
Be MedWise is a public education initiative of the National Council on Patient Information and Education. Be MedWise seeks to promote a better understanding that over-the-counter (OTC) drug products are serious medicines and must be taken with care. Their website includes educational resources that aim to help patients manage and understand their medications. - Bridge Medical
Bridge Medical offers information on medications, data analysis, specimen ID, and services. Mederrors.com is a link to Bridge Medical and focuses mainly on medication errors and adverse drug events. Bridge Medical offers an interactive course called "Anatomy of an Error", an extensive library of article summaries, specialized features, resources, a list of events, and frequently asked questions. - Drug Digest®
DrugDigest is a noncommercial, evidence-based, consumer health and drug information site dedicated to empowering consumers to make informed choices about drugs and treatment options. It offers information on hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. The website allows individuals to search by drug/herb, condition, news, or reviews. Its drug library features pill images, medication interactions, drug comparisons, and side effect comparisons. Other key features of the site include the “7 Steps to Safety”, medication safety tips, a check for savings section, a medication card, and a medication checklist of the "13 Facts that Patients Should Know about Each of Their Prescriptions." It also offers an extensive online medical glossary of over 40,000 health- and drug-related terms. - Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is devoted to medication error prevention and safe medication use. There is also an area of their website where errors can be reported. The website offers information on medication education and awareness, medication safety tools and resources, products, and industry news and events. ISMP manages ConsumerMedSafety.org, a website that provides medication safety information, tools, and resources. - Institute of Medicine (IOM)
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) works to improve national health by providing well researched information to the public. IOM provides information on subjects such as aging, diseases, food and nutrition, public health, prevention and treatment (among others). Aging Diseases Food and Nutrition Public Health and Prevention and treatment, among others. - US Pharmacopoeia (USP)
US Pharmacopoeia (USP) is an non-profit organization that collaborates with global industries, governments, academic institutions, health care practitioners, and consumer groups to set scientifically developed standards that ensure over–the–counter and prescription medicines are of high quality, pure, consistent, and of the appropriate and expected strength. USP offers definitions of medical and drug terminology, articles on medication errors in various settings, medication safety initiatives, and the impact of practitioner experience on official drug standards.
Patient Education, Advocacy & Support
- Citizens for Patient Safety (CPS)
Citizens for Patient Safety (CPS) is a global grassroots organization. The agency builds alliances between and within diverse communities by building bridges between consumers, the medical community, insurance agencies, and legal groups to improve the health care system and the quality of care that patients receive. - Consumer Health Information Corporation
The Consumer Health Information Corporation provides educational resources, including programs, services, and fact sheets for consumers, health care providers, and pharmaceutical companies. - Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS)
Consumers Advancing Patient Safety (CAPS) works to create successful relationships between consumers and providers to prevent misunderstandings and potentially harmful mishaps. The website features news, programs, and resources. - Empowered Patient Coalition
The Empowered Patient Coalition is a non-profit, 501(c)3 charitable organization that is a consumer- and advocate-led effort to inform, engage, and empower the public to assume greater roles in their medical treatment and become a driving force for meaningful health care reform. - Family Doctor.org
FamilyDoctor.org is an educational resource for patients that offers a glossary of conditions, a symptom search catalog, and resources on topics including healthy living, patient safety, and medications. - Hospice Patients Alliance
The Hospice Patients Alliance is a non-profit charitable organization that works to ensure standards of care during the end-of-life period. - Institute for Family-Centered Care
The Institute for Family-Centered Care is a non-profit organization that supports the development of patient and family-centered care. The Institute offers aid in creating patient and family advisory councils as well as educating patients, families, students, and trainees on medical topics. - Medically Induced Trauma Support Services (MITSS)
Medially Induced Trauma Support Services (MITSS), supports and provides hope to patients, families, and clinicians who have been impacted by an adverse medical event. The website allows patients and families to share personal stories, read stories concerning the medically induced trauma of others, and access patient and family resources. - National Consumers League (NCL)
The National Consumers League (NCL) is a national, non-profit organization that has represented consumers and workers since 1899. NCL provides prescription and over-the-counter medication information to consumers to help them take their medication safely and effectively. - National Empowerment Center
The National Empowerment Center strives to support those who have been diagnosed with mental illness. The website includes helpful stories of recovery, resources, links, and numerous publications. - National Family Caregivers Association
The National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) offers support to those who care for the health of loved ones. The website includes information on family caregivers, resources, the NFCA store, and initiatives. - P.U.L.S.E. (Persons United Limiting Substandards and Errors in Healthcare) of New York
PULSE (Persons United Limiting Substandards and Errors in Healthcare) of New York provides useful information regarding advocacy, education, support, news and events, resources, patient stories, and physician profiles. - Patient Advocate Foundation
The Patient Advocate Foundation is non-profit organization that strives to keep patients safe. The website offers personal help, resources, programs, news, and research. - Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM)
The Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) was founded in 1970 to support critically ill patients. Their website includes information on SCCM’s annual congress, professional development, public health and policy, publications, and more.
Quality of Care Organizations
- Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of the MLA
The Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of the Medical Library Association (MLA) evaluates medical websites based on credibility, sponsorship/authorship, content, audience, currency, disclosure, purpose, links, design, interactivity, and disclaimers. The website serves as a useful directory for specific research and educational needs. - Health Care For All’s Consumer Health Quality Council
The Consumer Health Quality Council is a coalition of Health Care For All, a Massachusetts consumer health advocacy organization. The Consumer Council empowers those impacted by health care quality issues to have a voice in our health care system, to engage fellow consumers to be active partners in their health care, and to advocate for high quality, safe, and accessible health care for all Massachusetts residents. Consumer Council members work on a variety of educational and advocacy initiatives and convene monthly to discuss health care quality issues. - Health Grades
HealthGrades provides rated profiles for hospitals, nursing homes, physicians, consumers, corporations, and health plans. The website features two distinct search engines for hospitals and physicians. - LeapFrog Group
The Leapfrog Group is a voluntary program that strives to enforce leaps and improvements in U.S. health care quality. Leapfrog calls attention to and rewards organizations who have exemplified such noteworthy behavior. Their website features specific content for consumers, members, hospitals, and data partners. - National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ)
The National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ) is an organization for health care professionals. Their website provides information on the Journal of Healthcare Quality as well as affiliated organizations and publications. - National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA)
The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) provides information on accreditation programs, publications, products, education, and events. The website also features articles on various health care topics. - National Quality Forum (NQF)
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is private, non-profit organization that measures national health care quality. Their website includes an area to browse healthcare topics, opportunities for members, and publications. - Premier Safety Institute, Inc.
The Premier Safety Institute, Inc., provides resources for both patients and health care professionals. Their website is designed to provide safety resources and tools to promote a safe health care delivery environment for patients, workers, and their communities.