A Better Hospital Regulatory Environment is within Reach

Day 1: Key takeaways from HAP’s Patient Safety, Quality, and Equity Symposium

September 02, 2026

Modern regulations support modern health care.

This morning, HAP's Patient Safety, Quality, and Equity Symposium focused on how HAP, policymakers, and state regulators work together to create a better regulatory environment for Pennsylvania hospitals.

Pennsylvania must reshape its outdated regulations in a way that supports patient care, encourages innovation, and makes it easier to run a hospital in Pennsylvania, said Kate McCale, HAP’s vice president, compliance & regulatory affairs, to open the event.

This work builds on recent efforts to remove administrative burden as the state advances its long-overdue update to Pennsylvania’s hospital regulations.

“Progress happens when we all meet in the middle,” McCale said.

New Hospital Regulations must be ‘Rooted in Reality’

We don’t know where health care is going, so updated Pennsylvania hospital regulations must allow for flexibility that “meets the needs for 2026 and beyond," said Kristen Rodack, LSW, MSW, executive deputy secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Health.

Updated regulations must be implementable, support patient care, and reduce and streamline burdensome requirements. The goal is to create regulations that are “rooted in reality and not some kind of ideal structure,” Rodack noted.

“The current hospital regulations are over 40 years old; our number-one priority is to get a package through the process,” Rodack said.

Meghna Patel, deputy secretary of Health and Human Services Policy and Planning, Office of Governor Josh Shapiro, noted the importance of modern regulations to allow for innovation. She said all regulatory requirements come at a cost; and the state encourages feedback from hospitals during the update process.

Representative Lisa Borowski, (D-Delaware), said lawmakers can support hospitals through legislation, but noted the importance of improving reimbursement for hospitals as a starting point.

“How can we do a better job that hospitals are getting the funding they need, the reimbursement they need for the care they are providing?” Borowski said.

HAP is a strong starting place for the hospital community to provide feedback with the Department of Health and lawmakers, the panel noted—especially when it comes to consistency in enforcement, the cost of regulations, and other pain points.

Below are a few more highlights from the symposium's first day:

Building a Cycle of Safety

Keynote speaker RaDonda Vaught, a patient safety advocate, emphasized the importance of a "cycle of safety" in health care. Vaught, a former nurse, shared her story about a fatal dispensing error, the circumstances that led to it, and lessons for clinical leaders.

"In health care, we have to be responsible for our own systems and fixing them," she said.

Accreditation isn't a 'One-Way' Street

The Joint Commission (TJC) strives to drive improvement, and that's for hospitals and the commission alike, said Robert Campbell, PharmD, BCSCP, TJC'S vice president, accreditation/certification program development and accreditation management.

Campbell outlined the commission's recent changes that aim to clarify accreditation requirements, address inconsistencies, and improve the hospital survey process.

Elevating the Patient Voice

Vaneeza Santiago, MSN, APRN, RNP-C, Tower Health's systems director of patient experience, led a panel focused on the role of Patient and Family Advisory Councils and patient advocates to build trust and create a healing environment for care.

Next year will bring changes from the PSA

Changes to hospital reporting requirements are coming from the Patient Safety Authority (PSA), said Michelle Bell, RN, BSN, FISMP, CPPS, PSA director of outreach and education.

Bell outlined the upcoming changes published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. More information will be shared during upcoming trainings on November 3 and November 5. She also outlined the PSA’s advisory on shoulder dystocia and its project to reduce falls.

HAP thanks our dedicated speakers, sponsors, and attendees who shared insights on day one. See additional photos in our LinkedIn gallery and be on the lookout for additional coverage of day two in HAP publications.