Who We Help | Hospitals and Health Systems

The structure and standardization of patient handoffs between clinical staff starts at the organizational level. The more inconsistent the handoff process is between providers, the greater the vulnerability is for serious medical errors to occur.

Developed by clinicians for clinicians, I-PASS helps hospitals and health systems apply an evidence-based approach for conducting highly reliable care transitions that capture often-missed patient information. The validated methodology has been proven to significantly reduce adverse events by streamlining handoff communication, creating a shared mental model between clinicians, improving care quality, and reducing the risk and financial burden of malpractice.

The I-PASS Handoff Program has over 15 years of evidence demonstrating its ability to transform hospital communication, workflow, and outcomes. We work hand-in-hand with care teams to ensure our program can be delivered, implemented, and sustained at scale.

Create a Shared Language Across Diverse Care Settings

I-PASS offers a universal structure that enables caregivers across clinical settings to communicate patient information reliably and uniformly.

Nurses

Physicians

Residents

Pediatrics

Critical Access

Academic Medical Centers

Clinics

Emergency Department

Community Hospitals

Obstetrics

Patient-and Family-Centered Rounds

Behavioral Health

We're On a Mission to Elevate the National Standard of Care

100 Institutions in the U.S. and Canada

3M minor and major harm events prevented

>100M completed handoffs

Number of Annual Avoidable Events & Costs


Annual Inpatient Admissions at a 450-bed hospital		20,000
Reduction of adverse events per 100 admissions²		1.5
Annual number of adverse events prevented		300
Annual Avoidable Costs Range	Cost Per Event	Annual Costs Avoided
Low³	$5,000	$1.5M
Medium⁴	$12,000	$3.6M
High⁴	$27,000	$8.1M

Avoidable Malpractice Claim Costs


Annual Malpractice Costs	$10.0M
% of Malpractice Claims associated with a communication error¹	49%
% of communication errors that include a handoff error¹	40%
% of handoff claims reduced through the use of I-PASS¹	77%
% of all malpractice claims potentially avoided with I-PASS	15%
Relative cost of a handoff related claims to all malpractice claims¹	179%
% of malpractice costs potentially avoided using I-PASS	27%
Annual value of malpractice claims potentially avoided	$2.7M

Journal of Patient Safety: March 2022 - Volume 18 - Issue 2 - p 130-137
Changes in Medical Errors after Implementation of a Handoff Program. Starmer AJ, Spector ND, et al. N Engl J Med.2014Nov;371:1803-1812, DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsa1405556
Costs of adverse events in intensive care units. Kaushal R, Bates DW, Franz C, Soukup JR, Rothschild JM. Crit Care Med.2007Nov;35(11):2479-83.PMID: 1782803
American Journal of Medical Quality, p1-7, DOI:10.1177/1062860615608938

Testimonials

Trish Jordan

System Associate Vice President, Clinical Outcomes, Baptist Health

“I-PASS gives our staff a tool they’ve been yearning for — one that augments the way they’re already coordinating patient care. By leveraging a shared mental model for clinical handoff communication, our care teams can maximize the impact that those efforts ultimately make on their patients.”

Deborah Campbell

Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Transformation, Kentucky Hospital Association

“I like I-PASS because it’s a Swiss Army knife approach – demonstrated ability to positively impact safety, quality, experience for care providers and patients, as well as financial benefits – not another one-off solution like we’ve tried before. Communication is nuanced and complex, and I liked that the I-PASS Institute acknowledged that and thoughtfully factored it into their bundle of solutions and methodology.”

Dana Siegal

Vice President of Risk Management and Analytics, Coverys

“We recognize that in this challenging time in healthcare, proactive strategies are what’s going to drive meaningful change in patient safety. The Coverys team is committed to being part of this positive progress and bringing highly reliable handoff communications to hospitals to improve care delivery and experience. We’re looking forward to collaborating with I-PASS to bring world-class solutions to our providers.”

Graham Billingham, MD

Chief Medical Officer, MedPro Group

“Errors in patient handoffs are a tremendous issue across the industry. We believe organizations that leverage I-PASS can begin addressing the root cause of miscommunication to improve patient safety and decrease liability exposure. We look forward to seeing the impact that I-PASS will have in optimizing clinician communication and elevating the standard of care.”

Wyatt Connor

RN, Travel Nurse, Dartmouth Health

"This handoff process is fantastic! From the report you print out to the I-PASS mnemonic, it’s better than any handoff process I’ve seen at other hospitals. The structured workflow ensures that information doesn’t get overlooked. At the same time, it doesn’t inhibit communication between clinicians; it helps uphold a standard for good reports, and it’s an additional aid on top of that"

Jennifer Bailey, MHA, BSN, RN

Director of Quality and Patient Safety, Carilion Giles Community Hospital

“There’s such a fine balance between adding a meaningful tool for staff and not creating unnecessary work in the process, but we’re confident that implementing I-PASS ultimately makes life easier for the frontline nurses while ensuring we maintain our patient safety and quality measures.”

Shilpa J. Patel, MD

Professor, Dept of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii

“The I-PASS Handoff Bundle has had an enormous impact in improving communication amongst resident learners as well as attending level physicians and other health care workers. It can be adapted to fit the needs of almost any specialty as well as both straightforward and complex patient care situations. Within my own pediatric hospitalist division, we have many stories of how using the I-PASS bundle helped to improve care, workflow, and prevent harm.”

Zia Bismilla

Director PHM Fellowship, Hospital for Sick Children

“I-PASS is a unique blend of patient safety, quality and education. Having implemented numerous educational interventions over the years, no curricula has been as effective as I-PASS. By empowering those on the ground with the tools to communicate effectively, it's effects have been widespread and long-lasting.”

Meg Kirkley, MD, MPH

Pediatric Chief Resident, University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program

“IPASS has become part of our onboarding process for pediatric residents, who bring this structured framework for handoffs to all subsequent care environments. Our hospitalists have adopted IPASS as well, and it interfaces with our EPIC electronic medical record to generate IPASS format reports automatically.”

Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH

Associate Chair of Education Pediatrics Residency Program Director Standford School of Education

“I have seen first-hand how the I-PASS framework has helped expose potential patient safety errors, and saved patients from having to experience these errors. As a residency program director, I have seen how easy it is to teach and implement. This is the single most effective patient safety educational bundle that I have seen in my 9 years of program leadership! ”

Chris Peltier, MD, FAAP

Director, Community Section, Division of General and Community, Pediatrics Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

"I strongly support I-PASS. With the transition to resident shift work, the number of hand-offs between the house staff has greatly increased. I-PASS had improved this process and made patient safety more effectaive at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. ”

Peggy Markle

Pediatric Patient Advisory CouncilNational Military Medical Center, Bethesda

“The IPASS procedures, videos, brochures, and supporting educational information for patients and their families and the medical team training are together changing the way we treat patients. As a caregiver, I am grateful we are treated in a facility that is implementing IPASS. It is reassuring patients and bringing a new level of confidence, communication and compassion to our medical team. ”

“As we advance our organization-wide Just Culture initiative, we’re excited to be partnering with I-PASS and the Kentucky Hospital Association to transform the safety culture at Harrison Memorial and deliver high-quality health care services to our community.”

— Kathy Tussey, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Executive Officer at Harrison Memorial

“I-PASS gives our staff a tool they’ve been yearning for — one that augments the way they’re already coordinating patient care. By leveraging a shared mental model for clinical handoff communication, our care teams can maximize the impact that those efforts ultimately make on their patients.”

— Trish Jordan, System Associate Vice President, Clinical Outcomes, Baptist Health

“I like I-PASS because it’s a Swiss Army knife approach – demonstrated ability to positively impact safety, quality, experience for care providers and patients, as well as financial benefits – not another one-off solution like we’ve tried before. Communication is nuanced and complex, and I liked that the I-PASS Institute acknowledged that and thoughtfully factored it into their bundle of solutions and methodology.”

— Deborah Campbell, Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Transformation, Kentucky Hospital Association

“Errors in patient handoffs are a tremendous issue across the industry. We believe organizations that leverage I-PASS can begin addressing the root cause of miscommunication to improve patient safety and decrease liability exposure. We look forward to seeing the impact that I-PASS will have in optimizing clinician communication and elevating the standard of care.”

— Graham Billingham, MD, Chief Medical Officer, MedPro Group

"We recognize that in this challenging time in healthcare, proactive strategies are what’s going to drive meaningful change in patient safety. The Coverys team is committed to being part of this positive progress and bringing highly reliable handoff communications to hospitals to improve care delivery and experience. We’re looking forward to collaborating with I-PASS to bring world-class solutions to our providers."

— Dana Siegal, Vice President of Risk Management and Analytics, Coverys

"This handoff process is fantastic! From the report you print out to the I-PASS mnemonic, it’s better than any handoff process I’ve seen at other hospitals. The structured workflow ensures that information doesn’t get overlooked. At the same time, it doesn’t inhibit communication between clinicians; it helps uphold a standard for good reports, and it’s an additional aid on top of that."

— Wyatt Connor, RN, Travel Nurse, Dartmouth Health

“There’s such a fine balance between adding a meaningful tool for staff and not creating unnecessary work in the process, but we’re confident that implementing I-PASS ultimately makes life easier for the frontline nurses while ensuring we maintain our patient safety and quality measures.”

— Jennifer Bailey, MHA, BSN, RN, Director of Quality and Patient Safety, Carilion Giles Community Hospital

“The I-PASS Handoff Bundle has had an enormous impact in improving communication amongst resident learners as well as attending level physicians and other health care workers. It can be adapted to fit the needs of almost any specialty as well as both straightforward and complex patient care situations. Within my own pediatric hospitalist division, we have many stories of how using the I-PASS bundle helped to improve care, workflow, and prevent harm.”

— Shilpa J. Patel, MD, Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, Hawaii Pacific Health

“I-PASS is a unique blend of patient safety, quality and education. Having implemented numerous educational interventions over the years, no curricula has been as effective as I-PASS. By empowering those on the ground with the tools to communicate effectively, it's effects have been widespread and long-lasting.”

— Zia Bismilla, Director PHM Fellowship, Hospital for Sick Children

“IPASS has become part of our onboarding process for pediatric residents, who bring this structured framework for handoffs to all subsequent care environments. Our hospitalists have adopted IPASS as well, and it interfaces with our EPIC electronic medical record to generate IPASS format reports automatically.”

— Meg Kirkley, MD, MPH, Pediatric Chief Resident, University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program

“I have seen first-hand how the I-PASS framework has helped expose potential patient safety errors, and saved patients from having to experience these errors. As a residency program director, I have seen how easy it is to teach and implement. This is the single most effective patient safety educational bundle that I have seen in my 9 years of program leadership! ”

— Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH, Associate Chair of Education Pediatrics Residency Program Director Standford School of Education

"I strongly support I-PASS. With the transition to resident shift work, the number of hand-offs between the house staff has greatly increased. I-PASS had improved this process and made patient safety more effective at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. ”

— Chris Peltier, MD, FAAP, Director, Community Section, Division of General and Community, Pediatrics Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

“The IPASS procedures, videos, brochures, and supporting educational information for patients and their families and the medical team training are together changing the way we treat patients. As a caregiver, I am grateful we are treated in a facility that is implementing IPASS. It is reassuring patients and bringing a new level of confidence, communication and compassion to our medical team. ”

— Peggy Markle, Pediatric Patient Advisory Council National Military Medical Center, Bethesda

"The I-PASS framework will provide our staff with a standardized approach for care transitions, ensuring clinicians remain focused during critical moments. The I-PASS methodology significantly reduces communication failures and establishes a universal language for handoffs, ensuring lasting improvements in patient outcomes and quality of care."

HOSPITALS AND HEALTH SYSTEMS

Advance Your Institution’s Patient Safety Culture

Clinical Validation

Create a Shared Language Across Diverse Care Settings

I-PASS offers a universal structure that enables caregivers across clinical settings to communicate patient information reliably and uniformly.

Nurses

Physicians

Residents

Pediatrics

Critical Access

Academic Medical Centers

Clinics

Emergency Department

Community Hospitals

Obstetrics

Patient-and Family-Centered Rounds

Behavioral Health

We're On a Mission to Elevate the National Standard of Care

100 Institutions in the U.S. and Canada

3M minor and major harm events prevented

>100M completed handoffs

Critical access hospital standardizes nurse handoff communication to reduce patient safety errors and improve quality outcomes.

I-PASS Savings Calculator

Number of Annual Avoidable Events & Costs

Avoidable Malpractice Claim Costs

More Than Just a Cost-Savings Solution

Improve patient safety

Strengthen transitions of care

Standardize your handoff process

Enhance culture and collaboration

Who is using I-PASS?

Our Partners

Resource Hub

Testimonials

Trish Jordan

Deborah Campbell

Dana Siegal

Graham Billingham, MD

Wyatt Connor

Jennifer Bailey, MHA, BSN, RN

Shilpa J. Patel, MD

Zia Bismilla

Meg Kirkley, MD, MPH

Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH

Chris Peltier, MD, FAAP

Peggy Markle

“As we advance our organization-wide Just Culture initiative, we’re excited to be partnering with I-PASS and the Kentucky Hospital Association to transform the safety culture at Harrison Memorial and deliver high-quality health care services to our community.”

— Kathy Tussey, DNP, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, Chief Executive Officer at Harrison Memorial

— Trish Jordan, System Associate Vice President, Clinical Outcomes, Baptist Health

— Deborah Campbell, Vice President of Clinical Strategy and Transformation, Kentucky Hospital Association

— Graham Billingham, MD, Chief Medical Officer, MedPro Group

— Dana Siegal, Vice President of Risk Management and Analytics, Coverys

— Wyatt Connor, RN, Travel Nurse, Dartmouth Health

“There’s such a fine balance between adding a meaningful tool for staff and not creating unnecessary work in the process, but we’re confident that implementing I-PASS ultimately makes life easier for the frontline nurses while ensuring we maintain our patient safety and quality measures.”

— Jennifer Bailey, MHA, BSN, RN, Director of Quality and Patient Safety, Carilion Giles Community Hospital

— Shilpa J. Patel, MD, Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, Hawaii Pacific Health

— Zia Bismilla, Director PHM Fellowship, Hospital for Sick Children

— Meg Kirkley, MD, MPH, Pediatric Chief Resident, University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program

— Becky Blankenburg, MD, MPH, Associate Chair of Education Pediatrics Residency Program Director Standford School of Education

"I strongly support I-PASS. With the transition to resident shift work, the number of hand-offs between the house staff has greatly increased. I-PASS had improved this process and made patient safety more effective at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. ”

— Chris Peltier, MD, FAAP, Director, Community Section, Division of General and Community, Pediatrics Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

— Peggy Markle, Pediatric Patient Advisory Council National Military Medical Center, Bethesda

— Michelle Rainey, Senior Vice President & Chief Nursing Officer at Pikeville Medical Center

We’re focused on creating a universal handoff language across the industry.

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