Final PSO Rule at ECRI Institute Audio Conference

Final PSO Rule at ECRI Institute Audio Conference

Maria Currier and Anne Murphy of the Health Law & Life Sciences Team participated in ECRI Institute’s December 15, 2008 audio conference, Patient Safety Organization Final Regulations: Issues for PSOs and Hospitals. Other panelists included Brenda Wehrle, CPHRM, director of risk management consultative services, HCA (Nashville, Tennessee) and Larry T. Patton, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) consultant and former senior advisor to the AHRQ director. Amy Goldberg-Alberg, Program Director of the ECRI Institute was the panel moderator.

The audio conference addressed the federal government's final rule, issued on November 21, 2008, for implementing the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, including establishing a protected legal environment within which healthcare providers voluntarily report patient safety data—such as errors, near misses, and quality-related data—to Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs). The rule will take effect on January 19, 2009.