In 2004, Michigan Governor Granholm appointed the Michigan Health and Safety Coalition (MH&SC)—an already established voluntary collaborative of diverse health care stakeholders—as the Michigan State Commission on Patient Safety. The Commission’s final report, released publicly in 2006, presents a detailed set of objectives and action steps designed to engage the entire State in a coordinated effort to accelerate patient safety improvement and transform Michigan’s health care culture. Through this unique opportunity to provide policy recommendations to State government, the MH&SC increased awareness of patient safety as a statewide concern; demonstrated the value of a transparent, inclusive, consensus-based process for setting a statewide agenda; and identified individuals and organizations committed to non-competitive, collaborative patient safety improvement. Here we summarize the Commission’s methods for transforming diverse public input into a consensus-based policy document; describe the results of its process; and discuss the factors that contributed to its success.