The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Oct. 8 issued new interim guidance that outlines how to become a patient safety organization (PSO).
The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act authorized the creation of PSOs to improve safety through the collection and analysis of data on patient safety events. By providing both privilege and confidentiality, PSOs are intended to create a secure environment where clinicians and healthcare organizations can voluntarily collect, aggregate, and analyze data that help identify and reduce the risks and hazards associated with patient care. “Patient safety work product”--the data submitted by healthcare providers to a listed PSO and the data developed by the listed PSO during the interim guidance period--will remain privileged and confidential under the Patient Safety Act during and after the interim period.
The interim guidance allows HHS’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to begin receiving applications from qualified entities that wish to become PSOs. This guidance will remain effective until HHS issues a final rule for PSOs, expected to be released by the end of 2008. Read the interim guidance.
