Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.
Points to look into
- It owes more than it owns.
- Only 47% of its spending went to programs.
These come from the organization's own tax return. There may be a good explanation; ask the charity.
What it says it does
THE ORGANIZATION'S MISSION IS TO ADVANCE PATIENT SAFETY WORLDWIDE BY EMPOWERING THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY TO PREVENT MEDICATION ERRORS.THE ORGANIZATION ACCOMPLISHES ITS MISSION THROUGH ITS INTERDISCIPLINARY EFFORTS TO:- COLLECT AND ANALYZE REPORTS OF MEDICATION-RELATED HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS, NEAR-MISSES, ERRORS, AND OTHER ADVERSE DRUG EVENTS- DISSEMINATE TIMELY MEDICATION SAFETY INFORMATION, RISK-REDUCTION TOOLS, AND ERROR-PREVENTION STRATEGIES- EDUCATE THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY AND CONSUMERS ABOUT SAFE MEDICATION PRACTICES- COLLABORATE WITH OTHER PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS, EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES AND OTHER HEALTHCARE STAKEHOLDERS- ADVOCATE THE ADOPTION OF SAFE MEDICATION STANDARDS BY ACCREDITING BODIES, MANUFACTURERS, POLICY MAKERS, REGULATORY AGENCIES, AND STANDARDS-SETTING ORGANIZATIONS- CONDUCT RESEARCH TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE-BASED SAFE MEDICATION PRACTICES
- Income
- $2.4 million
- Spending
- $3.9 million
- Spent on programs
- 47%
- Reserves
- -4.9 months of spending
- Largest source of income
- fees for its services, 87%
- Employees
- 21
- Volunteers
- 70
- Highest pay
- $1.1 million, director - chair
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Financial health
Weak: 15 out of 100. Higher than 1% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Reserves
0 of 35Spendable reserves are negative: it owes or has committed more than it holds.
Debt
0 of 20It owes 179% of what it owns.
Living within its means
0 of 15Spending exceeded income by 61% of income.
Income trend
15 of 15Income rose 2% on the year before.
Spending floor
0 of 1547% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 8 cents.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Governance
Good: 74 out of 100. Higher than 22% of charities in its peer group (health care, $1m to $10m).
Independent board
5 of 251 of 4 voting board members are independent.
Conflict of interest policy
15 of 15Has a written conflict of interest policy.
Whistleblower policy
8 of 8Has a written whistleblower policy.
Record keeping policy
7 of 7Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.
Board minutes
5 of 5Keeps minutes of board meetings.
Board sees the tax return
10 of 10Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.
Pay set independently
5 of 5Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.
Independent check of accounts
9 of 15Its accounts were reviewed or compiled by an independent accountant, but not audited.
No reported misuse
10 of 10Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Impact evidence
Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.
Programs described in its return (2)
- $1.2 million spent. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION:EDUCATION: ISMP CONSIDERS EDUCATION TO BE A CORE COMPONENT OF ITS MISSION AND OFFERS A VARIETY OF VALUABLE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS AND CONSUMERS, INCLUDING FREQUENT WEBINARS, CONTINUING EDUCATION SESSIONS AT SOME OF THE NATION'S LARGEST PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, LECTURES, VIDEOS, AND PATIENT BROCHURES. A WIDE RANGE OF FREE TOOLS FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS, SUCH AS LISTS OF HIGH-ALERT DRUGS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ABBREVIATIONS, ARE AVAILABLE ON WWW.ISMP.ORG. IN ADDITION, ISMP HOSTS MEDICATION SAFETY FELLOWSHIPS.CONSULTS: EACH YEAR, ISMP PROVIDES CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTING SERVICES TO HEALTHCARE FACILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A WIDE RANGE OF PRACTICE SETTINGS (E.G., HOSPITALS/HEALTH-SYSTEMS, COMMUNITY AND SPECIALTY PHARMACIES, AMBULATORY CLINICS, INFUSION CENTERS, ETC.) TO HELP IMPROVE MEDICATION SAFETY. ONSITE PROACTIVE RISK ASSESSMENTS IN THESE PRACTICE SETTINGS BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF PRACTITIONERS RESULT IN SAFE PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS AND A CUSTOMIZED ROADMAP TO MEDICATION ERROR PREVENTION. ONGOING GUIDANCE IN IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP SUPPORT SERVICES ARE ALSO PROVIDED AS NEEDED. UNLIKE OTHER CONSULTANTS, ISMP CONSTANTLY UPDATES ITS EVIDENCE-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES WITH REAL-TIME INFORMATION GAINED FROM ONGOING ANALYSIS OF THOUSANDS OF REPORTS SUBMITTED TO ITS NATIONAL VOLUNTARY ERROR REPORTING PROGRAMS.ERROR REPORTING AND ANALYSIS: THE VOLUNTARY ISMP NATIONAL MEDICATION ERRORS REPORTING PROGRAM (ISMP MERP) WAS STARTED IN ORDER TO LEARN ABOUT ERRORS HAPPENING ACROSS THE NATION, UNDERSTAND ROOT CAUSES, AND SHARE "LESSONS LEARNED" WITH THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY. THE PROGRAM WAS EXPANDED TO INCLUDE A NATIONAL VACCINE ERRORS REPORTING PROGRAM (ISMP VERP) AND THE FIRST CONSUMER ERROR REPORTING PROGRAM THROUGH ISMP'S CONSUMER WEBSITE (WWW.CONSUMERMEDSAFETY.ORG). EACH YEAR, THE PROGRAMS RECEIVE A FEW THOUSAND REPORTS FROM HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS AND CONSUMERS. THAT INFORMATION IS USED TO BRING ABOUT LARGE-SCALE CHANGES IN MEDICATION SAFETY THROUGH PUBLISHED GUIDELINES, RECOMMENDATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES. IN ADDITION, BASED ON THE INFORMATION SUBMITTED TO THE PROGRAMS, NATIONAL ALERT NETWORK (NAN) ALERTS ARE ISSUED AS NEEDED TO WARN PROVIDERS OF RISK FOR ERRORS THAT HAVE CAUSED OR MAY CAUSE SERIOUS HARM OR DEATH. RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES DEVELOPMENT: IN ADDITION TO DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ON SAFE MEDICATION USE GAINED THROUGH ITS REPORTING PROGRAMS AND OTHER SOURCES, ISMP CONDUCTS ORIGINAL RESEARCH TO HELP PROVIDE EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND DEVELOPS GUIDANCE AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES TO PREVENT ERRORS. ISMP HAS CONDUCTED NATIONAL MEDICATION SAFETY SELF-ASSESSMENTS FOR ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS IN 2000, 2004, AND 2011, A SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR HIGH-ALERT MEDICATIONS IN 2018 AND A SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR PERIOPERATIVE MEDICATION SAFETY IN 2021. TOPICS THAT OTHER ISMP SELF-ASSESSMENTS HAVE ADDRESSED INCLUDE ONCOLOGY, COMMUNITY/AMBULATORY PHARMACY, AND ANTITHROMBOTIC THERAPY. ISMP ALSO DEVELOP BEST PRACTICES AND MOST RECENTLY ISSUED THE 2024-2025 TARGETED MEDICATION SAFETY BEST PRACTICES FOR HOSPITALS AND 2023-2024 TARGETED MEDICATION SAFETY BEST PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY PHARMACY TO IDENTIFY, INSPIRE, AND MOBILIZE NATIONAL ACTION ON RECURRING SAFETY PROBLEMS.
- $568,341 spent. PUBLICATIONS:PUBLICATIONS: ISMP PRODUCES THREE ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTERS THAT COLLECTIVELY REACH MILLIONS OF READERS AND ARE RECOGNIZED AS SOME OF THE MOST TIMELY, COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL ALERT SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD. THE BIWEEKLY ISMP MEDICATION SAFETY ALERT! ACUTE CARE NEWSLETTERS PROVIDE VIRTUALLY EVERY US HOSPITAL WITH VITAL AND LIFE-SAVING INFORMATION ABOUT MEDICATION AND DEVICE ERRORS AND ADVERSE DRUG EVENTS. THE MONTHLY ISMP MEDICATION SAFETY ALERT! COMMUNITY/AMBULATORY AND ISMP MEDICATION SAFETY ALERT! NURSE ADVISE-ERR NEWSLETTERS PROVIDE PHARMACISTS, PHARMACY TECHNICIANS, NURSES, PHYSICIANS, AND OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAN BE USED IN THEIR OWN PRACTICE SETTINGS. ISMP ALSO PUBLISHES EDUCATIONAL COLUMNS IN SEVERAL HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONAL JOURNALS AND PUBLICATIONS. ISMP'S CONSUMER WEBSITE, WWW.CONSUMERMEDSAFETY.ORG, PROVIDES CONSUMERS WITH ADVICE FROM LEADING SAFETY EXPERTS AND INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE ON SAFE MEDICATION USE.MEMBERSHIPS: ISMP OFFERS A MEDICATION SAFETY MEMBERSHIP AND A SPECIALTY PHARMACY MEDICATION SAFETY MEMBERSHIP THAT AIMS TO HELP REDUCE THE OCCURRENCE OF MEDICATION ERRORS WITH EVIDENCE-BASED BEST PRACTICES. THE MEMBERSHIP PROVIDES ACTIONABLE GUIDANCE AND PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS INVOLVED IN MANAGING RISK THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE MEDICATION-USE PROCESS.
Source: Form 990 for the year ending December 31, 2024, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate
Legitimacy checks
Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.
Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.
Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.
Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated November 6, 2026.
Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.
On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.
Most recent return on file covers the year ending December 2024.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.
Recognized by the IRS since September 1994.
Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated October 13, 2026.
Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.
Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.
Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated November 4, 2026.
Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.