2013-23300. Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc.

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice of Delisting.

SUMMARY:

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21—b-26, provides for the formation of Patient Safety Organizations (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 no longer to meet the requirements of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, or when a PSO chooses to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO for any reason. AHRQ has accepted a notification of voluntary relinquishment from Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc. of its status as a PSO, and has delisted the PSO accordingly.

DATES:

The directories for both listed and delisted PSOs are ongoing and reviewed weekly by AHRQ. The delisting was effective at 12:00 Midnight ET (2400) on September 4, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

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

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Eileen Hogan, 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. The Patient Safety Rule authorizes AHRQ to list as a PSO an entity that attests that it meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for listing. A PSO can be “delisted” if it is found no longer to meet the requirements of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, or when a PSO chooses to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO for any reason. 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 Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc., PSO number P0102, a component entity of Cogent Healthcare, Inc., to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO. Accordingly, Cogent Patient Safety Organization, Inc. was delisted effective at 12:00 Midnight ET (2400) on September 4, 2013.

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

Dated: September 13, 2013.

Richard Kronick,

Director.