PLYMOUTH MEETING, PA - Marcus Schabacker, MD, PhD, president and CEO of ECRI, the nation’s largest patient safety organization, has been invited to present the 12th Annual Ervin Moss, MD, Patient Safety Lecture at the New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists annual meeting on Saturday, March 25, 2023. He will speak on Perioperative Patient Safety: A Human Factors and Total Systems Driven Approach.

“Preventable medical errors are the leading cause of death for more than 100,000 people each year in the United States. That number would be unacceptable in American aviation, and it is certainly unacceptable in healthcare,” says Dr. Schabacker, a board-certified anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist. “We need to take a different approach to patient safety.”

In his lecture, Dr. Schabacker will discuss ways that the field of anesthesia can contribute to safe and effective care. He will review the four interdependent foundations that are essential to achieving total systems safety, how to incorporate human factors engineering into daily routines, and how unconscious biases can compromise patient safety.

“At ECRI, we recognize that making improvements to patient safety based on our recommendations does not happen easily. Healthcare is complex, comprised of multiple systems and factors all working together,” says Dr. Schabacker. “We believe it will take a total systems approach to make impactful and sustainable changes.”

Anesthesia risks have been among the health technology hazards that ECRI lists each year. In 2012, ECRI named anesthesia hazards due to incomplete pre-use inspection a top threat. In 2016, ECRI warned that failure to effectively monitor post-operative patients for opioid-induced respiratory depression can lead to brain injury or death.

Dr. Schabacker has more than 35 years of healthcare experience in complex global environments, and more than 20 years of senior leadership responsibilities serving the medical device and pharmaceutical industries across the healthcare value chain. In 2018, he became ECRI’s third president and CEO in the nonprofit organization’s 55-year history.

The New Jersey State Society of Anesthesiologists, Inc. (NJSSA) is an organization of physicians dedicated to upholding the highest standards of the profession of anesthesiology and committed to serving as an advocate for anesthesiologists and their patients.

For more information, visit www.ecri.org or contact ECRI at clientservices@ecri.org.

About ECRI
ECRI is an independent, nonprofit organization improving the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of care across all healthcare settings. With a focus on technology evaluation and safety, ECRI is respected and trusted by healthcare leaders and agencies worldwide. Over the past fifty-five years, ECRI has built its reputation on integrity and disciplined rigor, with an unwavering commitment to independence and strict conflict-of-interest rules.

ECRI is the only organization worldwide to conduct independent medical device evaluations, with labs located in North America and Asia Pacific. ECRI is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices PSO is a federally certified Patient Safety Organization as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) formally became an ECRI Affiliate in 2020. Visit www.ecri.org.

For more information, contact:
Laurie Menyo, Director of Strategic Communications
610.825.6000 ext. 5310
lmenyo@ecri.org