Category: Patient Safety

Breaking the Stigma Around Dual Diagnosis

Editor’s Note: Breaking the stigma around dual diagnosis means seeing the full picture. Learn how truth, empathy, and integrated care lead to real recovery. In this thoughtful article, Pam Reiman discusses the situation when mental health problems and substance use collide.

By Pam Reiman, JD, LCSW, CAADC, CSAC (Executive Director at Bridging the Gaps, Inc.)

A person in a shirt with glasses looking stressed and leaning against the wall. The stigma around dual diagnosis shows up in quiet moments. A person with depression who drinks to cope may be told they “just need willpower.” Someone battling addiction might have their panic attacks dismissed as excuses. When the two conditions overlap, one often hides the other. The result is missed signs, unfair judgment, and delayed care.

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PPAHS Launches New Clinical Trial Recruitment Services Page — Connecting Research with Patients Faster

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) is excited to announce the launch of our newly updated Clinical Trial Recruitment Services page — designed to help sponsors, CROs, and investigators recruit qualified trial participants faster, more ethically, and with patient safety at the center of every effort.

Every day of delay in a clinical trial is more than a cost — it’s a missed opportunity for patients to access innovative treatments, diagnostics, and preventive care. Our mission-driven team works to bridge that gap, helping research move forward while protecting and empowering participants.

Why This Matters

As a nonprofit patient safety organization, PPAHS brings a unique advantage to recruitment:

Mission before margin — We prioritize health outcomes over profit.
Established trust — Our deep connections with patient communities, clinicians, and advocacy groups foster engagement.
Expertise across therapeutic areas — From orthopedic recovery to sepsis, respiratory compromise, and rare diseases, we understand the challenges and know how to overcome them.

Our Process

Our approach is collaborative, ethical, and compliant:

Collaborative Planning — We align closely with your team’s trial objectives, timelines, and eligibility criteria.
Ethical & Compliant Outreach — All recruitment is IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant, and patient-centered.
Retention-Focused Support — We help participants through the entire process, ensuring higher retention and stronger data quality.

Explore the New Page

Our new Clinical Trial Recruitment Services page outlines our full capabilities and process for accelerating recruitment in a way that advances both science and patient well-being.

To visit our clinical trial recruitment page, please click here.

If you’re a sponsor, CRO, or investigator ready to move your trial forward while prioritizing patient safety, we’d love to talk.

From Harm Reduction to Holistic Care: Evolving Approaches to Patient Safety in Addiction Treatment

Editors’ notes: In this article, Pat Crilley (Executive Director, Harmony Ridge Recovery Center) provides insights on evolving approaches to patient safety in addiction treatment. He explores the impact and challenges of holistic care.

By Pat Crilley (Executive Director, Harmony Ridge Recovery Center)

In the ever-changing field of addiction treatment, understanding how approaches to patient safety evolve is key. Traditionally, harm reduction strategies played a significant role in managing addiction. However, a shift towards holistic care has begun to reshape how we address this complex issue. This evolution is not just about new methods or techniques. It’s about building trust between patients and caregivers and acknowledging that every aspect of a person’s well-being is important. As we explore these changes, from harm reduction to holistic care, it’s clear that this journey in evolving approaches to patient safety in addiction treatment is reshaping our understanding and response to addiction.

Harmony Ridge Addiction

Continue reading “From Harm Reduction to Holistic Care: Evolving Approaches to Patient Safety in Addiction Treatment” →

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Launches CME Sepsis Courses “Identifying Patients in the Sepsis Gray Zone”

Free Three-Module Series Equips Clinicians to Navigate the Sepsis “Gray Zone”

The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) is proud to release an accredited continuing medical education course designed to strengthen clinical judgment in the early identification of sepsis. The series is free of charge, self-paced, and completely online.

Continue reading “Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety Launches CME Sepsis Courses “Identifying Patients in the Sepsis Gray Zone”” →

Sepsis is a Patient Safety Crisis: Two Free Events You Must Attend

Sepsis causes 1 out of every 5 deaths. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General urges us to take action against sepsis:

“The world must urgently step up efforts to improve data about sepsis so all countries can detect and treat this terrible condition in time. This means strengthening health information systems and ensuring access to rapid diagnostic tools, and quality care including safe and affordable medicines and vaccines.”

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Anticoagulation Forum: Transforming Anticoagulation Care through Knowledge and Stewardship

By the Anticoagulation Forum

Anticoagulation Forum: Transforming Anticoagulation Care through Knowledge and Stewardship

Ensuring optimal patient care in anticoagulation and thrombosis management requires up-to-date education, strong clinical guidance, and a commitment to best practices. The Anticoagulation Forum (AC Forum) stands at the forefront of this mission, offering a comprehensive set of resources and fostering stewardship programs to empower healthcare professionals worldwide.

Reaching over 15,000 clinicians in more than 100 countries, AC Forum serves as a trusted source for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and allied health professionals who support more than 1 million patients annually, helping them navigate the complexities of anticoagulation care with confidence and accuracy.

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Safety Equals Trust with PPAHS: RT Sidebar Podcast

By Michael W. Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

I was honored to be a guest on RT Sidebar, a place to facilitate dialogue regarding the respiratory therapist profession hosted by Vapotherm.

On the podcast, I talked about why I set up the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety and the key patient safety initiatives like the Enhanced Respiratory Care program. Here are highlights from that podcast:

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How We’re Strengthening Nonprofits

In this article, Carly Roman-Woo, PhD (Program Officer, Archstone Foundation) discusses how their volunteer platform has helped the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety.

By Carly Roman-Woo, PhD (Program Officer, Archstone Foundation)

At Archstone Foundation, we are committed to fostering the health and well-being of all older Californians and their caregivers by ensuring they have the resources and support they need to live and age well. One way we achieve this is by strengthening those organizations dedicated to serving the people we care most about.

All too often, nonprofits work tirelessly to fulfill their missions with limited staff and modest budgets, which don’t leave them with adequate time or resources to focus on building their own capacity or infrastructure to serve their communities more efficiently and effectively. That is why we have committed to meeting these organizational needs. Given that we receive many more requests for capacity building grants than we can fund directly, we sought a solution to address this critical gap in resources for aging services organizations.

Enter Catchafire, a game-changing way to provide nonprofits pro bono expertise from skilled professionals.

To read our article on volunteering with PPAHS, please click here.

To read the entire article, please click here.

A Promise to a Mother: Inside Malpractice with Chris Rokosh, RN, PNC(C)

By Michael W. Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

14 years ago, I made a promise to Cindy Abbiehl, a mother who had lost her daughter to opioid-induced respiratory depression.

How and why I started the Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) are discussed in this recent podcast with Chris Rokosh, RN, PNC(C). Chris has created a wonderful and informative series of podcasts “Inside Medical Malpractice”.

In “Inside Medical Malpractice”, Chris (President, CEO, and Founder of Connect Experts) explores the often misunderstood but fascinating world of medical malpractice with a variety of guests, from experienced lawyers to patients, and medical experts in the most sophisticated and complex areas of healthcare.

Continue reading “A Promise to a Mother: Inside Malpractice with Chris Rokosh, RN, PNC(C)” →

I’ll Do What I Can: Speaking at the Ohio Consensus Conference on Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression

By Michael W. Wong, JD (Executive Director, Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety)

“I’ll do what I can”

I said to Cindy Abbiehl and her husband, Brian, “I’ll do what I can” after hearing that their daughter Amanda had died from opioid-induced respiratory depression.

Now, I realize that in social encounters, we often say things that we eventually do not follow through with. After all, we often say things like “we should do coffee one day” but don’t schedule time for coffee or “we should stay in touch” but don’t phone, email, or text to keep in touch.

Continue reading “I’ll Do What I Can: Speaking at the Ohio Consensus Conference on Opioid-Induced Respiratory Depression” →