Research in patient safety and establishing standardized medical event reporting for error prevention and management. Principal investigator NHLBI RO1 funded research that led to the development and implementation of an event reporting system in transfusion medicine (MERS-TM), aspects of which have been used in hospitals in the US, Canada, Ireland and Croatia, and which have been integrated into the US National Biovigilance Program. Principal investigator, AHRQ U18 grant, “Reporting Systems and Learning: Best Practices.” The resultant system, MERS-TH, has been implemented at NYPH and MSH, and is being implemented in hospitals in Rhode Island and Illinois. Principal investigator, “Patient Safety Analysis Training: DoD/AHRQ Partnership.”, and most recently, NPSF Grant, “Knowledge Discovery: The development of an error/solution matrix to improve patient safety.” Recipient in 2005 of the first AABB Hemphill-Jordan Award for work in transfusion safety. Currently serves on Advisory Editorial Board of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority , Technical Expert Panel AHRQ CLABSI Project , and the NIH REDS-II Observational Study Monitoring Board. Previously chaired Patient Safety Research Coordinating Committee for AHRQ and served as temporary advisor to the WHO Challenge Group Meeting testing validity of ICPS, and on the MPSMS Technical and AHRQ Medication Safety Expert Panels.
Education
MD, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Dr. Kaplan’s research interests are directed at patient safety and focused on establishing standardized medical event reporting for error prevention and management. Dr. Kaplan served as the principal investigator for NHLBI RO1 funded research that led to the development and implementation of an event reporting system in transfusion medicine (MERS-TM), aspects of which have been used in hospitals in the US, Canada, Ireland, Croatia and Spain. Additionally, core components of this system have recently been integrated into the US National Biovigilance Network program. Dr. Kaplan was honored in 2005 by the AABB for his efforts in transfusion safety with the first Hemphill-Jordan Award.
Dr. Kaplan was also principal investigator on Columbia University’s AHRQ U18 grant, “Reporting Systems and Learning: Best Practices.” which is being implemented nationally as a general medical event reporting system.
He currently serves on the Patient Safety Advisory Editorial Board of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority and on the NIH REDS-III Observational Study Monitoring Board.
Fastman R B, Kaplan H. Transfusion Medicine: The problem with multitasking. In: The Value of Close Calls in Improving Patient Safety. Wu AW, ed. Oakbrook Terrace, IL: Joint Commission Resources 2011;.
Fastman R B, Kaplan H. Errors in transfusion medicine: Have we learned our lesson? . Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine: A Journal of Translational and Personalized Medicine 2011; 78(6): 854-64.
Fastman R B, Kaplan H. Selected perils of the blood transfusion process: Case studies. In: Patient Safety: A Case-Based, Comprehensive Guide. Agrawal A, Ed, Springer Science and Business Media, New York, NY (Invited, in press);.
Sorra J, Nieva V, Fastman R B, Kaplan H, Schreiber G, King M. Staff attitudes about event reporting and patient safety culture in hospital transfusion services. Transfusion 2008; 48(9): 1934 - 1942.
Kellie S, Dixon N, Battles J, Kaplan H, Fastman R B. Patient safety learning pilots – Narratives from the frontlines. Advances in Patient Safety: New Directions and Alternative Approaches 2008 July; Volume 1, AHRQ Publication Nos: 08-0034.
Egorova N, Moskowitz A, Gelijns A, Weinberg A, Curty J, Fastman R B, Kaplan H, Cooper M, Fowler M, Emond J, Greco G. Managing the Prevention of Retained Surgical Instruments: What Is the Value of Counting?. Ann Surg 2008 Jan; 247 (1): 13-18.
Lundy D, Laspina S, Kaplan H, Fastman R B, Lawlor E. Seven hundred and fifty-nine (759) chances to learn: a 3-year pilot project to analyse transfusion-related near-miss events in the Republic of Ireland. Vox Sanguinis 2007; 92 (3): 233–241.
Kaplan H. Safer design. (editorial) . Transfusion 2007 May; 47(5): 758-9.
Battles J, Dixon N, Borotkanics R, Fastman R B, Kaplan H. Sense making of patient safety risks and hazards. Health Services Research Special Edition 2006 Aug; 41(4) : 1555-75.
Kaplan H, Fastman R B. Organization of event reporting data for sense making and system improvement. Qual Saf Health Care 2003 Dec; 12 Suppl 2: II68-II72.