Ambulatory Safety Nets
In 2021, the CRICO Board agreed to support the development and implementation of Ambulatory Safety Nets (ASNs) for top-occurring cancers and selected behavioral health issues.
Sustain and Expand Patient Safety Adoption through Collaboration
The development and deployment of the Ambulatory Safety Net (ASN) has been a truly cooperative experience between CRICO and the members of the Harvard medical community. By developing a Patient Safety Adoption Framework and establishing the ASN Collaborative for the design and implementation phases, patients who previously fell through the cracks after a concerning clinical finding related to breast, colorectal, prostate, or lung cancer will now be systematically identified and contacted for follow-up treatment.
Colorectal cancer and behavioral health ASNs are already underway at participating institutions. The ASNs for the three other cancers (breast, prostate, and lung) will be rolled out through 2026. Participants are currently focusing on finalizing the initial implementation of the colorectal cancer ASN and implementing the additional cancer safety net focus areas. CRICO has also built the mechanism for receiving the required ASN measurement reports, which are already being received.
Research Publications
Journal of Patient SafetyThe Patient Safety Adoption Framework: A Practical Framework to Bridge the Know-Do Gap
PSNet (AHRQ.gov)
Ambulatory Safety Nets to Reduce Missed and Delayed Diagnoses of Cancer
Joint Commission Journal of Quality and Safety
Reducing the Risk of Delayed Colorectal Cancer Diagnoses Through an Ambulatory Safety Net Collaborative
Patients Falling Through the Cracks
Implementing an intervention can improve safety.
Listen to the Podcast about Ambulatory Safety Nets
Patient Safety Adoption Framework Patient Safety Adoption Framework
Effectively integrating patient safety initiatives into the day-to-day work of a hospital or office practice requires a clear, simple, and structured implementation approach supported by leadership and the necessary resources. To address this gap, we created the Patient Safety Adoption framework, identifying and providing guidance for achieving the key elements of implementation. Each triangle represents a specific element of implementation (called a domain), with the smaller, nested triangles representing subdomains. The framework is grounded in the principles of human-centered design and evidence from a literature review and qualitative interviews as well as extensive stakeholder engagement in face validity testing.
ASN Videos
Hear from physicians on how the ASN grant is working for them.
Dr. Jon Li's Harvard Combined Medical Grand Rounds- ASN Presentation
ASN Lessons and Data by MIT Health
Poster with results and lessons about implementing an Ambulatory Safety Net (ASN) for high-risk patients overdue for colorectal cancer screenings.
