The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has recently announced significant updates to its Patient Safety Structural Measures (PSSM) for 2025, marking a pivotal shift in how healthcare quality is assessed and reported. For healthcare organizations, understanding these changes is crucial to maintaining compliance and improving patient outcomes. At Clarity Group, we recognize the importance of these updates and how they impact your incident reporting systems.  

What Are CMS Structural Measures? 

CMS Structural Measures are designed to evaluate the infrastructure and processes that healthcare organizations have in place to deliver high-quality care. These measures focus on the systems and practices that support patient safety, infection control, and overall healthcare quality. The 2025 updates introduce new measures, remove outdated ones, and modify existing metrics to better align with current healthcare practices. 

Key Updates for 2025 

1. Leadership Commitment: The Healthcare SafetyZone® allows the appropriate individuals to have access to consistently stay in the know to prioritize safety in all strategic, financial, and operational decisions.
2. Strategic Planning & Organizational Policy: Our PSO has almost 20 years of success in ensuring that our clients implement and maintain strategic plans and policies that are robust and effectively communicated across all levels.
3. Culture of Safety: Fostering a culture of safety and learning within the hospital is essential but challenging. With the Healthcare SafetyZone® and Clarity’s PSO, your organization can encourage open communication and continuous learning from errors.
4. Accountability & Transparency: As patient safety experts we have prebuilt modules including a Just Culture module, to ensure that all staff members are held accountable for patient safety and that there is transparency in reporting and addressing safety issues.
5. Patient & Family Engagement: We offer a solution with our Feedback Module, which allows your organization to involve patients and families in safety planning and decision-making processes.
   

How Clarity Group Can Help

At the Clarity Group, we understand that staying compliant with CMS requirements can be challenging. Our incident reporting system, the Healthcare SafetyZone®, is designed to help healthcare organizations seamlessly integrate these new measures into their reporting processes. With our user-friendly platform, you can easily track and report on patient safety, infection control, and other critical metrics.  

The Healthcare SafetyZone® offers: 

• Real-time Reporting: Stay up to date with the latest data and ensure timely reporting to CMS
• Customizable Dashboards: Tailor your reporting to meet the specific needs of your organization
• Automated Alerts: Receive notifications for any discrepancies or areas that need attention 
• Comprehensive Analytics: Gain insights into your performance and identify opportunities for improvement
• Staff Feedback & Assessments: Empower staff to efficiently inform care delivery quality improvement processes
• Just Culture Algorithms & Reporting: Our system incorporates just culture standards and methodology
• Patient Feedback Collection: We offer an easy-to-use patient facing tool that allows your patients to submit their feedback directly to you with immediate notifications routed to the appropriate members of your team

Clarity’s PSO:

• Enhanced Support: As a member of our PSO, you’ll receive expert guidance and resources to help you implement effective patient safety strategies
• Data Protection: Benefit from the confidentiality and privilege protections offered by our PSO, ensuring your data is secure and used to improve care quality
• Collaborative Learning: Join a network of healthcare providers committed to sharing best practices and learning from each other to enhance patient safety
• Regulatory Compliance: Our PSO services are designed to help you meet CMS requirements and stay compliant with the latest regulations
• Safety Culture Assessment: We offer guided assistance as well as actionable plans for improvement
• Analytical Assistance: Utilizing various methods including tracking & trending, RCAs, FMEA, and focused reviews

Conclusion 

The CMS 2025 Patient Safety Structural Measures (PSSM) updates represent a significant step forward in enhancing healthcare quality and patient safety. By understanding and implementing these changes, healthcare organizations can improve their care delivery and outcomes. At Clarity Group, we are committed to supporting you through this transition with our advanced incident reporting systems. Together, we can achieve a safer and more efficient healthcare environment.