Championing Veteran Care During Patient Safety Awareness Week 2025

DSS elevates patient safety by putting Veterans at the center of care with our comprehensive suite of solutions that meet NCPS and Joint Commission standards.

Observed annually in March, Patient Safety Awareness Week serves as a dedicated time to raise awareness about health care safety and to recognize the vital work being done to protect patients.

Led by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), this special initiative fosters discussions on a global scale, inspiring actions to improve the safety of health care systems for both patients and health care professionals.

The Importance of Patient Safety

Despite significant progress in patient safety over the past two decades, medical harm remains a leading cause of death worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 134 million adverse events occur annually in hospitals in low- and middle-income countries, resulting in 2.6 million deaths. In addition, approximately 40 percent of patients experience harm in ambulatory and primary care settings, with 80 percent of these harms being preventable.

In the United States, studies suggest that more than 200,000 deaths occur each year due to preventable medical errors. Addressing these challenges is a global public health priority and is also a critical focus at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

VHA National Center for Patient Safety: A Commitment to Veterans

For example, the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) established the National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) to guide VA medical centers and stakeholders in implementing best practices for patient care.

NCPS supports the VHA’s transition to becoming a High Reliability Organization (HRO) by focusing on:

• Measuring and mitigating harm to Veterans and their caregivers
• Enhancing patient admission and discharge practices
• Promoting clinical team training and a culture of safety
• Evaluating health care solutions and technology from a patient safety perspective

Patient safety managers at VA medical centers and patient safety officers at Veterans Integrated Services Networks (VISNs) play a crucial role in executing these strategies and ensuring safer care for Veterans.

Human-Centered Solutions for Patient Safety and HRO Efforts at the VA

DSS helps VA to achieve its high reliability organization goals by deploying innovative, interoperable health care solutions that keep Veterans at the center of highly reliable care. DSS offers VA stakeholders and end-users several technology solutions and innovations to improve efficiency across multiple clinical domains.

Through creating human-centered design solutions for the VA, DSS delivers easy-to-use products and positive customer experiences for enhanced clinical workflows and patient outcomes. By supporting the Veteran journey across various stages – from diagnosis to discharge, including mental health, surgery, cancer treatment, and primary care – we help streamline processes, improve safety, and reduce provider burnout, leading to highly reliable care.

Investing in the DSS health care IT solutions helps VA propel its technological and operational edge by optimizing clinical workflows for improved patient care.

Following is a sampling of our solutions that support patient safety at the VA.

DSS TheraDoc

TheraDoc is a real-time clinical surveillance solution designed to support infection control, antimicrobial stewardship, and patient safety efforts across hospitals. Here’s how it enhances patient safety:

• Implemented in more than 60 VAMCs to improve patient care and reduce hospital costs.
• Supports antimicrobial stewardship, infection control, and adverse drug event prevention.
• Enhances clinical decision-making in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

DSS TheraDoc Medical Device Interface

TheraDoc Medical Device Interface boosts infection control efforts by tracking and monitoring medical device insertions and removals to reduce Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs). Here’s how it enhances patient safety:

• Tracks and monitors medical device usage to reduce HAIs.
• Eliminates siloed information by integrating data across health care systems.
• Provides real-time insights to improve patient care outcomes.

TheraDoc has provided critical patient safety and cost-savings outcomes. Here are some examples:

• When it comes to anticoagulation management, VISN 20 recorded 1,747 Interventions for a cost impact of $144,932 over a two-month period.
• For antimicrobial stewardship and clinical pharmacy, VISN 20 also recorded 993 Interventions for a cost impact of $1.1 million over two months. VISN 6 also recorded 4,895 Interventions for a cost impact of $2.24 million.
• In 2020, Houston VAMC released an eight-year study that showed a 74 percent decrease in Clostridium Difficile, a 70 percent infection rate decrease, and inappropriate testing decreased by 84 percent.

LiveData PeriOp Manager™

LiveData PeriOp Manager™ is a perioperative management solution that enhances situational awareness and improves surgical workflow for increased efficiency and patient safety. Here’s how it enhances patient safety:

• Real-time perioperative data enhances surgical workflow and patient safety.
• Reduces the risk of “never events” and ensures consistent surgical timeouts.
• Maximizes OR utilization and throughput, improving care quality.

DSS Order Tracking Manager (OTM)

OTM is a web-based VistA-integrated solution that leverages real-time data to provide clear oversight and task management for staff and administrators. With one specific location for this data, OTM helps avoid delays in patient care and extra work for administrative and medical staff.

• Supports the VA’s HRO journey by improving care access and efficiency.
• Enhances team communication and provides centralized patient data for better decision-making.
• Reduces administrative burden and shortens patient wait times.

Patient Case Manager High Reliability Organization (PCM HRO)

PCM High Reliability Organization (HRO) helps health care providers implement strategies that align with the principles of high reliability to improve patient safety and care quality.

• Strengthens VA suicide prevention efforts through standardized workflows and analytics.
• Improves compliance with the VA’s Safety Planning in the Emergency Department (SPED) metric.
• Provides real-time clinical intelligence to improve patient safety and outcomes.

DSS Comprehensive Care Coordination (C3)

Comprehensive Care Coordination (C3) streamlines care coordination, enhances workflow efficiency, and reduces risks associated with patient transitions and readmissions.

• Reduces hospital readmissions through enhanced care coordination and predictive analytics.
• Expands risk factor identification for various disease states, including cardiac conditions and diabetes.
• Integrates social determinants of health for a holistic approach to patient care.

Infusion Therapy Manager (ITM)

Infusion Therapy Manager (ITM) prioritizes patient safety through expertly engineered features and functionality to better support the clinical disciplines involved in the accuracy of ordering to assist in the safe administration of infusion therapy.

• Streamlines chemotherapy and infusion therapy workflows.
• Enhances patient safety by automating documentation and reducing manual processes.
• Optimizes oncology treatment regimens and improves collaboration among health care providers.

Consult Tracking Manager Plus (CTM Plus)

Consult Tracking Manager Plus (CTM Plus) streamlines patient consult tracking and scheduling for better care coordination and timely access to medical services.

• Provides real-time oversight of patient consults and scheduling.
• Enhances coordination between PACT and Community Care teams.
• Improves patient access and continuity of care.

DSS is a longstanding partner to the VA in building a safer future for Veterans through these human-centered design solutions. Its commitment to patient safety drives the continuous development of technologies that improve health care outcomes and enhance the quality of care for Veterans nationwide.

Please click here to learn more about DSS’ comprehensive suite of federal health solutions.