New findings from the American Hospital Association highlight where hospital quality strategies are gaining traction — and where leaders say additional support is needed.
The insights come from the AHA’s Quality Exchange, a virtual collaborative of more than 250 healthcare quality and patient safety leaders that launched this year. The AHA synthesized key findings from a member survey and group discussions in its 2026 Environmental Scan, released Dec. 18.
The findings reflect how quality leaders are prioritizing improvement efforts heading into 2026 as health systems balance workforce strain, cost pressures and rising care complexity.
Where quality and safety leaders say hospitals are making the most progress:
- Implementing structured risk mitigation approaches to reduce harm
- Using analytics and metrics for measurable quality improvement
- Improving patient experience and engagement
Three areas where more support is needed to overcome challenges:
- Strengthening quality improvement leadership and engaging the workforce in quality efforts
- Applying lean or six sigma methodologies to optimize processes
- Expanding the use of digital tools and virtual care to improve care coordination and access
Looking ahead, safety and quality leaders also identified several trends shaping their strategies, including increased use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies to support improvement efforts, stronger accountability structures for patient safety and closer alignment between safety initiatives and broader organizational performance goals.
Respondents also pointed to a growing focus on workplace violence prevention, expanded use of bundled care models to enhance coordination and continued investment in age-friendly health systems.
