The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) today announced the formal launch of its new national initiative, Patient Safety in the Era of AI, a dynamic effort to harness the promise of artificial intelligence to improve patient safety and prevent harm across all US health care delivery systems. The initiative kicked off with a Steering Group meeting in Washington, DC on March 3, 2026, where leaders from patient advocacy, health care, technology, policy, and payment convened to chart the course for strategic action.
As AI technologies rapidly evolve, they offer unprecedented opportunities to enhance safety practices, anticipate risk, support clinical decision-making, and close persistent gaps in health system performance. In 2000, the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academy of Medicine) landmark report To Err Is Human elevated patient safety as a national priority. Today, as health care grows more complex, Patient Safety in the Era of AI will build on that legacy by developing national strategic options for leveraging AI to move the field closer to the long-held vision of zero harm.
“Today marks a pivotal moment in our national journey toward safer care. I am convinced that emerging AI tools may markedly increase patient safety improvements and do so at scale, but realizing that promise requires deliberate, cross-sector collaboration and thoughtful strategy,” said Steering Group Co-Chair Gianrico Farrugia, M.D., President and CEO, Mayo Clinic. “This initiative brings together distinguished leaders to create an actionable national strategy for the responsible integration of AI that will guide the field in addressing persistent patient safety challenges.”
The initiative will develop draft domains of a patient safety strategy, incorporate feedback through a public comment period engaging patients, clinicians, and other key stakeholders, and culminate in a strategic approach to advance patient safety in the US.
“Artificial intelligence is already reshaping care delivery and improving diagnosis, but it is also democratizing information, empowering patients, and leveraging the autonomy of patients, all of which contribute to greater patient safety,” said Steering Group Co-Chair Sue Sheridan, CEO, Patients for Patient Safety US. “If we are intentional about how we wield these tools, AI can enable the most powerful strategy and policy levers possible to reduce preventable harm and strengthen trust in the health system.”
“Patient safety is the ideal use case for health AI,” said Wright Lassiter, president and CEO of CommonSpirit Health, Steering Group co-chair. “As leaders, we have both an opportunity and an obligation to ensure these technologies strengthen the safety and reliability of care. Our charge is clear: apply powerful tools to our highest duty, protecting patients and preventing harm. Failing to adopt them risks widening existing safety and equity gaps that we already know how to close.”
The Patient Safety in the Era of AI initiative is supported by a funder coalition, including initial contributions from the Elevance Health Foundation, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI), California Health Care Foundation, and Premier, Inc.
Elevance Health Foundation is also conducting its inaugural Patient Safety Prize inviting changemakers to submit transformational solutions that improve safety, advance quality of care, and enhance outcomes for vulnerable populations. In collaboration with the NAM, Elevance Health Foundation will be convening a distinguished panel of experts to evaluate Prize submissions. To learn more about the Patient Safety Prize, visit www.patientsafetyprize.org.
For more information about the Patient Safety in the Era of AI initiative or how to get involved, please visit nam.edu/patient-safety-ai.
