Washington, DC, June 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Quality Forum (NQF) and The Joint Commission (TJC) are seeking public comment as part of a consensus-based process to update the NQF Serious Reportable Events (SRE) List, a resource that is widely used across the country to track the most serious patient harm events. From June 2 to July 1, the public is invited to review and comment on the proposed 2025 SRE List and event descriptions and provide additional information that will foster a clear understanding of each SRE and how they apply to various healthcare settings or populations. Public comments submitted as part of this process will inform the SRE List final report, which will be published this fall and include the new list along with implementation guidance. 

In addition to modernizing the SRE List, NQF aims to simplify nomenclature used in reporting patient safety events, harmonize unaligned event definitions and reporting frameworks, and provide specific guidance to drive more consistent reporting. As an affiliate of TJC, NQF will work with TJC to align the updated SRE List with the taxonomy of TJC’s Sentinel Events List. The Sentinel Events List is also widely used for voluntary reporting and aligning the two is a key step toward streamlining the measurement ecosystem and reducing the reporting burden.

“Both the Serious Reportable Events List and the Sentinel Events List are vital tools in our efforts to improve patient safety across the healthcare ecosystem,” said Dana Gelb Safran, ScD, President & CEO, NQF. “By linking them closer together and bringing patients, providers, advocates, and other important stakeholders to the table, we can forge multistakeholder consensus and develop highly specific clinical application guidance, which will drive increased understanding and consistent reporting across healthcare organizations, systems, and states to support standardized implementation.”

First introduced in 2002, the SRE List is key to driving improvements in patient safety and reducing preventable harm. Today, more than 25 states and many healthcare organizations use the SRE List for both mandatory and voluntary reporting. Beginning in 2024, NQF engaged more than 70 experts and the public in a rigorous consensus-based process to develop an updated SRE List that reflects changes to how and where care is delivered today. Last updated in 2011, the list also marks the first time NQF and TJC are working together to refresh the list, since NQF became part of TJC in 2023 – marking an important milestone in a larger effort to enable systematic measurement, tracking, and reporting on the prevalence and impact of patient safety events. 

To qualify for the SRE List, a patient safety event that is clearly tied to a patient encounter with a healthcare delivery system must be serious and largely preventable. The proposed 2025 updated list is comprised of 27 patient safety events. Four are new and 23 have been updated.

To learn more about the updated SRE List and how to submit comments, visit qualityforum.org/SRE_Public_Comment.aspx.

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About National Quality Forum
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a not-for-profit, nonpartisan, membership-based organization that works to improve healthcare outcomes, safety, and affordability for all people. Our unique role is to bring all voices to our table to forge multistakeholder consensus on quality measurement and improvement standards and practices that achieve measurable health improvements for all. NQF is a proud affiliate of The Joint Commission. Learn more at www.qualityforum.org.

About The Joint Commission
Founded in 1951, The Joint Commission seeks to continuously improve healthcare for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating healthcare organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value. The Joint Commission accredits and certifies more than 23,000 healthcare organizations and programs in the United States. An independent, nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare. Learn more about The Joint Commission at www.jointcommission.org.

Zachary Brousseau
National Quality Forum (NQF)
202-478-9326
zbrousseau@qualityforum.org

Katie Bronk
The Joint Commission
630-792-5175
kbronk@jointcommission.org