One in Four
Using Pascal’s method, independent studies by Harvard Hospitals and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have now confirmed what Pascal Metrics has known for more than a decade. 25% of patients experience some kind of harm while in the hospital.
What the Harvard Hospitals Study Found Using Pascal’s Method
- 23.6% of a random sample of 2,809 patients admitted to hospitals experienced harm.
- 22.7% of harm events were preventable.
- 32.3% had a severity level of serious (i.e., caused harm that resulted in substantial intervention or prolonged recovery) or higher.
What the HHS Inspector General Found Using Pascal’s Method
- 25% percent of Medicare patients experienced harm during their hospital stays in October 2018.
- 43% of harm events were preventable.
- 12% of patients experienced serious harm events which led to longer hospital stays, permanent harm, life-saving intervention, or death.
The reason these results are so shocking to so many in the field is because the vast majority of hospitals use voluntary “see something, say something” event reporting as their method of measuring how much harm is occurring. At best, voluntary reporting has repeatedly been shown to capture 10% of the real harm that’s occurring.
The trigger method identifies 10x more serious harm.
One in Four
Using Pascal’s method, independent studies by Harvard Hospitals and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services have now confirmed what Pascal Metrics has known for more than a decade. 25% of patients experience some kind of harm while in the hospital.
In 2022, Harvard Hospitals, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General published separate studies of hospital patient harm rates. Researchers from both studies used Pascal’s approach of combining evidence-based triggers with expert review of medical records because they determined it was the only way to accurately measure the true rate of harm.
What the Harvard Hospitals Study Found Using Pascal’s Method
- 23.6% of a random sample of 2,809 patients admitted to hospitals experienced harm.
- 22.7% of harm events were preventable.
- 32.3% had a severity level of serious (i.e., caused harm that resulted in substantial intervention or prolonged recovery) or higher.
What the HHS Inspector General Found Using Pascal’s Method
- 25% percent of Medicare patients experienced harm during their hospital stays in October 2018.
- 43% of harm events were preventable.
- 12% of patients experienced serious harm events which led to longer hospital stays, permanent harm, life-saving intervention, or death.
The reason these results are so shocking to so many in the field is because the vast majority of hospitals use voluntary “see something, say something” event reporting as their method of measuring how much harm is occurring. At best, voluntary reporting has repeatedly been shown to capture 10% of the real harm that’s occurring.
The trigger method identifies at least 10x more serious harm.
We’re Trigger Method Experts
The research is clear. The trigger method is the best way to measure patient harm, and Pascal has spent more than a decade developing the most enhanced clinical triggers, and adverse event outcomes data sets in the world.
The cornerstone of Pascal’s Virtual Patient Safety solution is its extensive library of enhanced clinical triggers and adverse event outcomes data. These data sets have been validated and meticulously curated by clinical experts using the most advanced software in this domain. By scanning every electronic medical record in real-time, Pascal’s Risk Trigger® Monitor software is able to identify potential harm and risk events with unparalleled accuracy, timeliness, and actionability.
Pascal’s VPS solution takes a truly data-driven approach to patient safety and eliminates the limitations of the traditional, voluntary event reporting methods. We provide our patient safety, quality, and risk management clients with the most accurate, real time view of their safety performance and risk profile.
We’re Trigger Method Experts
The research is clear. The trigger method is the best way to measure patient harm, and Pascal has spent more than a decade developing the most enhanced clinical triggers, and adverse event outcomes data sets in the world.
The cornerstone of Pascal’s Virtual Patient Safety solution is its extensive library of enhanced clinical triggers and adverse event outcomes data. These data sets have been validated and meticulously curated by clinical experts using the most advanced software in this domain. By scanning every electronic medical record in real-time, Pascal’s Risk Trigger® Monitor software is able to identify potential harm and risk events with unparalleled accuracy, timeliness, and actionability.
Pascal’s VPS solution takes a truly data-driven approach to patient safety and eliminates the limitations of the traditional, voluntary event reporting methods. We provide our patient safety, quality, and risk management clients with the most accurate, real time view of their safety performance and risk profile.
We don’t just find more harm.
Our clinical experts and specialists will help you reduce it.
Our Expert Clinical Review and Safety Advisory teams identify patterns and trends in your data, produce detailed reports, and help you create plans that have proven to significantly reduce harm.
Enterprise Global [All] Harm Reduction
Specific Harm (Over Sedation) Reduction
We don’t just find more harm.
Our clinical experts and specialists will help you reduce it.
Our Expert Clinical Review and Safety Advisory teams identify patterns and trends in your data, produce detailed reports, and help you create a plan that’s proven to significantly reduce harm.
Enterprise Global [All] Harm Reduction
Specific Harm (Over Sedation) Reduction
Some of the Organizations Pascal Metrics is Privileged to Serve
Pascal is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in using advanced machine learning and AI technology to transform patient safety and risk management.
Pascal holds the largest clinically validated adverse event outcomes data set using real-time electronic health records, in the world. This treasure trove of information about adverse events, related factors, possible causes and more, enables Pascal and our clients in this next generation of patient safety and risk management, to train AI and ML algorithms with the richest, most fine grained data possible.
With this extensive data set and the powerful analytics capabilities included with the VPS solution, we’re able to provide our partners with the insights and tools they need to drive real change in their organizations. Whether it’s reducing harm, improving patient outcomes, or mitigating legal and financial risk, we’re here to help.
Pascal is uniquely positioned to lead the charge in using advanced machine learning and AI technology to transform patient safety and risk management.
Pascal holds the largest clinically validated adverse event outcomes data set using real-time electronic health records, in the world. This treasure trove of information about adverse events, related factors, possible causes and more, enables Pascal and our clients in this next generation of patient safety and risk management, to train AI and ML algorithms with the richest, most fine grained data possible.
With this extensive data set and the powerful analytics capabilities included with the VPS solution, we’re able to provide our partners with the insights and tools they need to drive real change in their organizations. Whether it’s reducing harm, improving patient outcomes, or mitigating legal and financial risk, we’re here to help.
Wall Street Journal Highlights Pascal’s Proven Technology: Enabling a New Standard in Patient Safety & Risk Management Methods
The Wall Street Journal spotlights Pascal's technology as an enabler of an innovative adverse event outcome data standard, transforming patient safety and risk management in healthcare. Learn how this groundbreaking approach benefits both healthcare and risk management organizations, and most importantly, patients.
A Roadmap for Voluntary Event Reporting in the New Era of Trigger-based Harm Detection
Overview For decades healthcare organizations have relied almost exclusively on voluntary event reporting
Dr. Don Berwick Responds to NEJM-published Harvard Trigger Study by Renewing Call for Automated Harm Detection
“They may not welcome the duty to push patient safety back to strategic prominence. Nevertheless, ‘first do no harm’ remains a sacred obligation for all in health care, and success requires ‘constancy of purpose for improvement.’ Without renewed board and executive leadership and accountability for safety and without concerted, persistent investment in and monitoring of change, a summary study 34 years from now may again look all too familiar, with millions upon millions of patients, families, and health care staff paying the price for inaction.”