AACN is the largest specialty nursing organization in the world, representing the interests of more than 500,000 nurses who are charged with the responsibility of caring for acutely and critically ill patients. The association is dedicated to providing our members with the knowledge and resources necessary to provide optimal care to critically ill patients.

The Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) is the national association committed to improving patient safety in the surgical setting.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) is the only full-service professional organization representing the interests of the nation's 3.1 million registered nurses through its constituent member nurses associations and its organizational affiliates.

The Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, or AAAHC, has a mission to maintain its position as the preeminent leader in developing standards to advance and promote patient safety, qulaity, value and measurement of performance for ambulatory health care through peer-based accreditation processes, education and research.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a Public Health Service agency in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, sponsors and conducts research that provides evidence-based information on health care outcomes; quality; and cost, use, and access. Among its other mandates, it is charged by Congress to promote patient safety and reduce medical errors.

ASMRM promotes effective and innovative risk management strategies and professional leadership through education, recognition, advocacy, publications, networking and interactions wiht leading health care organizations and government agencies.

The APSF's mission is to improve continually the safety of patients during anesthesia care by encouraging and conducting: safety research and education, patient safety programs and campaigns and national and international exchange of information.

The Australian Patient Safety Foundation Inc. (APSF) is a non-profit independent organization dedicated to the advancement of patient safety.

CMS's mission is to ensure effective, up-to-date health care coverage and to promote quality care for beneficiaries.

CAPS is a consumer-led nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote patient safety by building partnerships between patients and providers. It represents individuals, consumers and healthcare practitioners in promoting safe, patient-centered healthcare delivery.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. It is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety, tobacco products, dietary supplements, prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceutical drugs (medications), vaccines, biopharmaceuticals, blood transfusions, medical devices, electromagnetic radiation emitting devices (ERED), veterinary products and cosmetics.

HRET's goal is to advance ideas and practices beneficial to helath care practitioners, insitutions, consumers and society at large.

The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania is a statewide membership services organization that advocates for nearly 250 Pennsylvania acute and specialty care, primary care, subacute care, long-term care, home health, and hospice providers, as well as the patients and communities they serve.

IHI is a not-for-profit organization furthering the quality and value of healthcare. It offers a variety of programs, including education and training on quality improvement and change management, and is spearheading the "100,000 Lives Campaign," an outcomes-based initiative recommended to Pennsylvania healthcare facilities by the Patient Safety Authority.

The IOM, a component of the National Academy of Sciences, provides unbiased, evidence-based information and advice concerning health and science policy on matters related to biomedical science, medicine and health. Its 1999 report, To Err Is Human (commonly called "the IOM report"), brought the issue of medical errors to national attention.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices(ISMP) devotes its work entirely to medication error prevention and safe medication use. A subcontractor for the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, ISMP has developed a website specifically for consumers to help prevent medical errors (consumermedsafety.org).

The Joint Commission is a national accrediting organization for many types of healthcare facilities, among them hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, assisted living and long-term care facilities. JCAHO has a strong focus on patient safety that includes its annual National Patient Safety Goals and the Speak Up! program designed for consumers.

Leapfrog is a voluntary program made up of 160 companies and organizations that buy healthcare. Its focus is on reducing costs by preventing medical mistakes and improving quality of care.

NASHP is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to helping states improve health policy and practice. NASHP has published numerous reports, including several on patient safety.

The National Committe for Quality Assurance develops programs and provides services that reflect a straightforward formula for improvement: Measure. Analyze. Improve. Repeat.

NCC MERP is dedicated to reducing and preventing medication errors through error reporting. The Council represents a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the pharmaceutical industry, physician and hospital associations, AARP, pharmacists, government and non-profit accrediting agencies. The site includes a segment for consumers on using medications safely and links to many other patient safety organizations.

The National Patient Safety Agency of England leads and contributes to improved, safe patient care by informing, supporting and influencing the health sector.

NPSF, representing healthcare institutions, professional practitioner associations, government agencies, consumers, and other health promotion, quality improvement and patient safety organizations, is dedicated solely to patient safety. The website includes resources for all components of the healthcare industry, including consumers, and provides links to many other websites.

NQF is a private, non-profit organization that develops national strategies for measuring healthcare quality and reporting. Through its "Consensus Reports," NQF has been influential in helping establish national standards and guidelines on many issues, including those related to patient safety.

The Partnership for Healthcare Excellence is a new effort to help Massachusetts consumers improve the quality of their healthcare.

The Partnership for Patient Safety promotes a patient-centered systems approach to patient safety by emphasizing the importance of developing a culture of safety within healthcare institutions. The website also contains links to many other patient safety-related organizations.

The Department of Health licenses most types of healthcare facilities in Pennsylvania, including hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, nursing homes, home health agencies and others. Individual citizens can access the website to find out how to file complaints against a facility. In addition, the website contains information about quality of care and other patient-focused information for both facilities and consumers.

The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs in the Department of State licenses most individual health providers in Pennsylvania. Citizens can find out how to file complaints against licensed medical professionals by accessing the website. In addition, the website contains information related to disciplinary action taken by the various health licensing boards.

PHC4 is an independent state agency charged with collecting and disseminating data related to the cost and quality of healthcare in Pennsylvania. The website contains information and reports on performance and outcomes related to certain diseases, procedures and medical conditions in hospitals and ambulatory surgical facilities.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society provides its members with the latest information in healthcare. CME credits may also be obtained through the website.

The purpose of the PA State Nurses Association is to preserve and advance the identity, integrity, and the continuity of the profession of nursing and to serve as the professional organization and the official voice for registered professional nurses in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

PRHI is a regional coalition of hospitals, insurers, businesses, healthcare providers, and corporate and civic leaders committed to promoting patient safety and quality of care. Its focus is on enhancing patient outcomes by identifying and solving problems at the point of care.

NCPS is a patient safety program with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs committed to reducing and preventing adverse medical events within VA facilities. The website contains many resources, including patient safety alerts and information about creating a culture of safety, conducting root cause analyses and other patient safety topics.

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.