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About IDPH

About LENS

LENS (Learning from Events to Nurture Safety) is a patient safety program established by the Illinois Department of Public Health to advance safer, higher quality care across Illinois. By learning from serious patient safety events and sharing insights statewide, LENS will help strengthen care systems, prevent harm, and support safer outcomes for patients, families and the healthcare workforce. Find out how LENS works with stakeholders here.

What we do

LENS will provide a secure reporting system that helps health care facilities share information about adverse health care events, supporting statewide learning and improvement. Reported information will be used to identify safety risks, understand what contributes to them, and support learning that helps prevent harm statewide. 

How LENS supports learning

LENS focuses on learning from what happens in care settings to understand how harm can occur and how it can be prevented. De-identified information collected through reporting will be analyzed and shared to support safety guidance and improvement efforts across Illinois.

Our role within IDPH

LENS is part of the Illinois Department of Public Health Division of Healthcare Quality and Outcomes (formerly Division of Patient Safety and Quality), which works to support safe, high-quality care by promoting transparency, learning, and improvement across Illinois. [Learn more about the IDPH Division of Healthcare Quality and Outcomes]

What LENS is not

LENS is designed to support learning and improvement, not to penalize or regulate care.

  • LENS is not punitive. Reports are used to understand what happened and how care can be made safer, not to assign blame.
  • LENS is not regulatory. Reporting through LENS is separate from inspections, enforcement, or licensing decisions, which are handled through other Illinois Department of Public Health processes.
  • LENS is not a complaint or grievance process. LENS focuses on patient safety events and risks, rather than resolving individual disputes.

If you have concerns about the quality of care or other issues at a healthcare facility, visit the IDPH Central Complaint Registry for information on how to file a complaint.

Why statewide reporting matters

Individual health care organizations often see only what happens within their own setting. Statewide reporting helps create a fuller picture of patient safety across Illinois. This broader view makes it easier to recognize patterns, emerging risks, and opportunities to improve care that may not be visible in one place.

Reporting is not about blame or punishment. It is about learning how care systems can be improved so patients receive safer, more reliable care.