Accomplished industry executive adds extensive leadership experience improving the safety and quality of patient care

BOSTON, Mass. – April 09, 2024 – I-PASS, the gold standard for reducing preventable medical errors through improved clinical communications during care transitions, today announced the appointment of Patricia McGaffigan to its Board of Directors. With extensive experience spanning clinical practice, academia, medical technology innovation, and nonprofit leadership, McGaffigan brings an invaluable depth of healthcare leadership and patient safety expertise to the I-PASS board.

McGaffigan currently serves as the President of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety and Vice President of Safety at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and serves as senior sponsor for the IHI’s Lucian Leape Institute and co-chair of the National Steering Committee for Patient Safety. Serving in these positions since 2017, McGaffigan has worked with a global network of national and federal organizations, partners, and learning communities to educate and mobilize regional and national health systems to eliminate patient and workforce harm and promote wellbeing.

“Advancing the safety and quality of patient care has been the cornerstone of my career for the past four decades,” said McGaffigan. “With a shared mission to improve patient care and quality outcomes, I’m honored to play a part in the transformative efforts of I-PASS to reduce patient harm and advance patient safety through structured communication during clinical transitions of care.”

Prior to joining IHI, McGaffigan served as Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of Safety Programs at the National Patient Safety Foundation, which merged with IHI in 2017. Throughout her career, she has served in a variety of clinical, academic, and executive leadership roles centered around patient and workforce safety. Additionally, she is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS), a graduate of the AHA-NPSF Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship Program and IHI Fellow, and serves on numerous national committees, advisory boards, taskforces, and technical expert panels. During her tenure as President, CBPPS, nearly 6,500 individuals from every U.S. state and 32 countries have earned the CPPS credential. Patricia is a recipient of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses Lifetime Member Award, the 2023 University of North Texas Health Science Center’s Mary E. Luibel Distinguished Service Award for her contributions to improving patient care, and was named to the 2023 Becker’s Review List of Patient Safety Experts to Know.

“As a veteran of patient safety and a distinguished healthcare leader, Patricia brings an unparalleled passion for improving the safety and quality of patient care across the healthcare continuum,” said William Floyd, CEO of the I-PASS Patient Safety Institute. “Patricia’s first-hand experience driving systemic changes to improve patient safety will be an invaluable asset to our team as we work to reduce nationwide incidences of preventable patient harm.”

To learn more about improving patient safety through optimal clinical care transitions, please contact info@ipassinstitute.com.

###

About I-PASS

The I-PASS Patient Safety Institute is a clinical leader in patient safety, enabling a standard of care for patient handoffs and closed-loop communication. Founded by clinicians in 2016, the I-PASS Institute leverages expert mentorship paired with technology and digital tools to scale the I-PASS methodology. The I-PASS Institute’s solution, the I-PASS Bundle, consists of three core technical components: I-PASS Training, I-PASS Assessment and Improvement, and I-PASS eVIEW. When institutions utilize these components in unison and with the guidance of an expert coach, they can reduce patient harm caused by miscommunication. I-PASS is currently implemented in more than 100 healthcare institutions across the continuum of care. Learn more at www.ipassinstitute.com.