When the team of patient safety experts volunteering for the National Quality Forum met in 2009, it was no exaggeration to say lives were on the line. The dozen committee members were updating "safe practice" guidelines that are taken as gospel by the nation's hospitals, where mistakes and preventable complications cause hundreds of thousands of patient deaths a year. Dr. Chuck Denham, one of the country's most visible advocates for patient safety, co-chaired the session. Denham resembles a trim version of Dr. Phil but talks faster, lacing his speech with a mix of self-help and business jargon.
