2011-29666. Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation

AGENCY:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.

ACTION:

Notice of Delisting.

SUMMARY:

AHRQ has accepted a notification of voluntary relinquishment from Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b21-b-26, provides for the formation of PSOs, which collect, aggregate, and analyze confidential information regarding the quality and safety of health care delivery. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR part 3, authorizes AHRQ, on behalf of the Secretary of HHS, to list as a PSO an entity that attests that it meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for listing. A PSO can be “delisted” by the Secretary if it is found to no longer meet the requirements of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, including when a PSO chooses to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO for any reason.

DATES:

The directories for both listed and delisted PSOs are ongoing and reviewed weekly by AHRQ. The delisting was effective at 12:00 Midnight E.T. (2400) on October 11, 2011.

ADDRESSES:

Both directories can be accessed electronically at the following HHS Web site: http://www.pso.AHRQ.gov/​index.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Susan Grinder, Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety, AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD 20850; Telephone (toll free): [phone]; Telephone (local): [phone]; TTY (toll free): [phone]; TTY (local): [phone]; Email: [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Patient Safety Act authorizes the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component organizations whose mission and primary activity is to conduct activities to improve patient safety and the quality of health care delivery. HHS issued the Patient Safety Rule to implement the Patient Safety Act. AHRQ administers the provisions of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule (PDF file, 450 KB. PDF Help) relating to the listing and operation of PSOs. Section 3.108(d) of the Patient Safety Rule requires AHRQ to provide public notice when it removes an organization from the list of federally approved PSOs. AHRQ has accepted a notification from Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation, PSO number P0062, which is a component entity of Emergency Physicians Insurance Co. RRG (EPIC) to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO. Accordingly, the Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation was delisted effective at 12:00 Midnight E.T. (2400) on October 11, 2011.

More information on PSOs can be obtained through AHRQ's PSO Web site at http://www.pso.AHRQ.gov/​index.html.

Dated: October 28, 2011.

Carolyn M. Clancy,

Director.