WILLOW GROVE, PA — Northern Arizona Healthcare has been named the winner of ECRI’s 2025 Safety Excellence Award, earning national recognition for a sweeping, systemwide effort to strengthen patient safety, accountability, and teamwork across its hospitals.
The award, presented annually by ECRI and the ISMP Patient Safety Organization, highlights organizations that demonstrate measurable improvements in patient safety through evidence-based practices and cultural transformation.
NAH CEO Dave Cheney said the recognition reflects the daily commitment of staff across the system. He emphasized that the organization’s progress stems from consistent collaboration and a unified focus on patient well-being.
Central to NAH’s safety gains are new avenues for staff engagement. The system launched monthly open forums that allow any employee to raise concerns directly with the CEO and patient safety leaders. Action items from those discussions are posted on an internal portal to keep staff informed and reinforce accountability. NAH also redesigned its daily safety briefings to identify obstacles in real time and encourage unit-level collaboration.
The health system expanded its “just culture” framework as well, incorporating principles from Extreme Ownership — a leadership model emphasizing responsibility and communication — to build cohesive teams and improve decision-making.
NAH implemented several system-level improvements through Root Cause Analysis and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis, including mobile tools for pediatric medication dosing, new emergency department stretchers equipped with safety technology, and standardized procedures for transporting nuclear medicine materials.
Medication safety was another priority. NAH applied ISMP best practices by refining processes for managing IV fluid shortages after Hurricane Helene, standardizing vaccine storage to prevent errors, and deploying updated IV pump technology for safer, more interoperable medication delivery.
ECRI President and CEO Marcus Schabacker said NAH’s approach demonstrates how cultural change paired with operational improvements can create lasting safety gains. He noted that NAH’s work emphasizes design, consistency, and prevention — elements he said are necessary to break cycles of adverse events and operational strain.
Two organizations earned honorable mentions: HealthPartners in Minnesota, for training foreign-language interpreters to act as patient safety advocates, and BayCare HomeCare in Florida, for strengthening its safety event reporting culture.
Northern Arizona Healthcare previously received an honorable mention in 2023. The organization will be formally recognized as the 2025 Safety Excellence Award winner at the ECRI and ISMP PSO Annual Meeting on November 12, 2025.
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