Why It Matters
The Alliance for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (AQIPS) hired Monument Advocacy to represent its interests in healthcare policy. Monument Advocacy registered Alliance for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety as a new client on September 18, with lobbying on Medicare/Medicaid as the issue area.
AQIPS has lobbied on healthcare quality and patient safety since 2011, but has largely relied on in-house representation. Monument Advocacy's healthcare practice, led by Joel White, brings connections across Congress and deep experience in Medicare policy. Healthcare and Life Sciences is Monument Advocacy's dominant practice area, covering pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, healthcare IT, and health policy organizations.
By the Numbers
Monument Advocacy filed the new client registration for AQIPS on September 18. The filing identifies Medicare/Medicaid as the issue area being lobbied on. No specific legislation was listed in the filing.
None of the 38 lobbying disclosure filings for AQIPS from 2011 to 2026 contain specific legislation listed. Instead, the organization has referenced general issue areas including Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, Health Information Technology, and the Cures Act. Joel White is a partner and head of Monument Advocacy's health practice.
Broader Context
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented a new Patient Safety Structural Measure (PSSM) starting in 2026 that requires hospitals participating in Medicare's Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program to attest to patient safety structures, including Patient Safety Organization participation. The measure was finalized in August 2024 as an attestation-based requirement intended to drive action and improve patient safety.
According to Union Healthcare Insight, the Patient Safety Structural Measure moves Patient Safety Organizations (PSO) from a relatively niche program to a potential strategy priority.
Meanwhile, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) faces severe operational constraints. Congress appropriated $345 million for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for the 2026 fiscal year, and the agency has spent less than $15 million on grants. Approximately 75% of AHRQ's staff have been fired or resigned since President Donald Trump took office, leaving 74 employees compared with roughly 300 in early 2025.
Between The Lines
Two member communications mentioning AQIPS were found between September 2025 and September 2026. One references Congresswoman Nikema Williams introducing the Tech to Save Moms Act on a bipartisan basis. One hearing statement directly mentioning AQIPS was identified before the House Committee on Agriculture.
Twenty-five member communications and 25 hearing statements mentioning Medicare/Medicaid were found between September 18, 2025 and September 18, 2026. Twenty-five member communications mentioning Medicare and Medicaid were found, with 19 from House members (all Democratic) and six from Senate members (all Republican).
The Bottom Line
Starting in 2026, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has implemented a new Patient Safety Structural Measure that requires hospitals participating in Medicare's Hospital Inpatient Quality Reporting Program to attest to patient safety structures, including PSO participation, while the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has spent less than $15 million on grants out of its $345 million 2026 appropriation.
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