2025 AHA Leadership Summit Report: Advancing Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety in Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

The 2025 American Hospital Association (AHA) Leadership Summit concluded with a reinforced commitment to quality and patient safety, framing these as the foundational elements for achieving global health objectives. The discussions and initiatives presented align directly with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).

Core Initiatives and Contributions to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

The AHA’s strategic efforts are centered on providing tangible resources and fostering collaboration to improve health outcomes, directly supporting the targets within SDG 3.

AHA Patient Safety Initiative

Launched in 2023, this initiative serves as a catalyst for advancing patient safety across member institutions. Its primary functions contribute to SDG 3 by:

• Providing hospitals with critical tools and data to enhance patient safety protocols.
• Offering a platform for sharing improvement stories and best practices among peers.
• Highlighting innovations that sustain safety improvements within health systems.

Maternal Health and SDG Target 3.1

A significant focus of the summit was the reduction of maternal mortality, a key component of SDG Target 3.1. To address this, the AHA has undertaken specific actions:

1. Collaboration with Epic: A new partnership with the health technology company Epic aims to deploy tools for the early detection and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage. This condition accounts for 11% of maternal deaths in the U.S., and this collaboration directly supports the goal of reducing the global maternal mortality ratio.
2. Better Health for Mothers and Babies Initiative: This ongoing program provides a comprehensive suite of resources for hospitals to improve both maternal and infant health outcomes, contributing to SDG Targets 3.1 and 3.2 (End preventable deaths of newborns and children under five).

Leveraging Innovation and Partnerships for Sustainable Health Systems

The summit underscored that progress in healthcare is dependent on multi-stakeholder collaboration and technological innovation, reflecting the principles of SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Technological Advancement and SDG 9

Discussions highlighted how cutting-edge technology is being integrated to build resilient and effective health infrastructure. The application of artificial intelligence and advanced electronic health records, such as the Epic tools, exemplifies the commitment to fostering innovation (SDG 9) to transform the patient and clinical experience, thereby improving the quality of care.

Collaborative Efforts and SDG 17

The principle of partnership was a recurring theme. The AHA-Epic collaboration is a prime example of a multi-stakeholder partnership (SDG 17) formed to achieve a specific health objective. Furthermore, the summit itself functions as a platform for knowledge-sharing and peer-to-peer learning among hospitals, which is a vital form of partnership for advancing health for all.

Key Summit Themes and Future Outlook

Several key themes emerged from workshops and sessions, all pointing toward a more integrated and sustainable approach to healthcare.

• Employee Engagement: Recognized as a critical driver of safety, quality, and patient experience, linking to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) by promoting safe and effective working environments for healthcare professionals.
• Innovation in Practice: The integration of storytelling into patient safety efforts was presented as an innovative strategy to embed a culture of safety.
• Recognition of Excellence: The AHA Quest for Quality Prize honors health systems for leadership and innovation in improving quality, directly encouraging the behaviors needed to advance SDG 3 within communities.

Conclusion: A Continued Commitment to Global Health Goals

The work of hospitals and health systems is an ongoing journey to advance clinical care. The focus on quality and patient safety serves as the guiding principle in this endeavor. This commitment is not only a priority for the healthcare field but also a fundamental contribution to the global agenda for sustainable development, ensuring progress toward Good Health and Well-being (SDG 3) for all.

Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   The article’s primary focus is on improving healthcare quality, patient safety, and maternal and infant health outcomes, which are central tenets of SDG 3.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   The article discusses the use of “innovative approaches,” “health care technology,” and “cutting-edge artificial intelligence” to improve care delivery, which connects to SDG 9’s emphasis on technological advancement and innovation.

3. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   The text highlights a “collaboration with the health care technology company Epic” and the importance of hospitals learning from each other, reflecting the multi-stakeholder partnership approach of SDG 17.

What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal mortality ratio.

     The article directly addresses this target by focusing on efforts to combat postpartum hemorrhage, a condition that “accounts for 11% of maternal deaths in the United States.” The collaboration with Epic aims to create tools for the “detection and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage” to save lives and improve maternal health.

   • Target 3.2: By 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age.

     This target is relevant through the mention of the “AHA’s Better Health for Mothers and Babies Initiative,” which explicitly aims to “improve maternal and infant outcomes.” Improving infant outcomes is a direct contribution to reducing preventable deaths of newborns.

   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage, including access to quality essential health-care services.

     The article’s overarching theme is the improvement of healthcare quality. Phrases like “the true North Star of health care: quality and patient safety” and “Delivering safe, high quality care to patients remains hospitals’ top priority” show a clear commitment to the quality of care component of this target.

Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 3.1 (Reduce maternal mortality):

   • Indicator: Maternal mortality from specific causes.

     The article provides a specific data point that can be used as an indicator: the percentage of maternal deaths from postpartum hemorrhage, stated as “11% of maternal deaths in the United States.” Progress can be measured by a reduction in this percentage.

2. For Target 3.2 (End preventable deaths of newborns):

   • Indicator (Implied): Infant outcomes.

     The article mentions the goal to “improve maternal and infant outcomes.” This implies the use of indicators such as infant mortality rates or neonatal morbidity rates to measure the success of the “Better Health for Mothers and Babies Initiative.”

3. For Target 3.8 (Access to quality health-care services):

   • Indicator (Implied): Adoption rate of safety tools.

     The collaboration aims to “help more hospitals adopt a set of tools” for postpartum hemorrhage. The number or percentage of hospitals that successfully implement these point-of-care tools in their electronic health records serves as a measurable indicator of improved quality and safety infrastructure.

   • Indicator (Implied): Integration of AI in clinical settings.

     The article notes discussions on “how cutting-edge artificial intelligence is transforming the patient and clinical experience.” The extent of AI integration and its impact on patient safety and efficiency can be tracked as an indicator of quality improvement.

Table of SDGs, Targets and Indicators

Source: aha.org