PSO Patient Safety Organization Meeting

January 6, 2006

Introduction

On Friday, January 6^th, 2006, Twenty-nine members of Colorado’s Health Care and Consumer Communities met at COPIC insurance for an exploratory session regarding the need and possible role for a new entity, a PSO, in the state of Colorado.  Dr. David West, President of the Colorado Patient Safety Coalition facilitated the discussion. 

Background

On July 29, 2005, President Bush signed into law the "Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005"[P.L. 109-41, which encourages healthcare providers to promote a "culture of safety" through their voluntary submission of medical errors data. The data would be used for educational and research initiatives and analyses supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). This statute provides a number of import protections for the Patient Safety Work Products developed with and by PSOs.  To be afforded the protection of Patient Safety Work Products, PSOs must be designated by the Secretary of HHS. 

Group Discussion Summary

Need for a PSO in Colorado:  There was a consensus among the meeting participants that our State would benefit from having a Patient Safety Organization.  Representatives of hospitals, provider groups, and hospital systems pointed out the need for and interest in having a viable PSO with which to share medical error data, and the demand for the analysis of data to identify patterns and trends for intervention within our communities.

Characteristics of a PSO: After discussing the various possilbites that may be allowed by the Secretary of HHS, there was a discussion that resulted in a general consensus that Colorado would best be served by a single PSO.  The enabling federal legislation provides general guidance on the functions of a PSO, and our discussants emphasized the demand and need for a data repository - and for the analysis of the data.  This may include administrative claims data, medical error report data, etc.

Given the efforts that are already underway in Colorado throughout our Information Technology and Quality Improvement Communities, there was a great deal of discussion regarding the need for a PSO to build upon and coordinate with these efforts, rather than to duplicate them.  However, the need for a PSO to remain independent and objective was also stressed.

Financing a PSO In Colorado:  The group reached a general consensus that a PSO, if formed and designated by the Secretary of HHS, would not be in a position to market a specific “product” without a planning and development period.  The financing of this process would require a commitment from our community that may involve specific health care providers, provider associations, consumer groups, insurers, local foundations, and others. 

Next Steps:  The group determined that there was enough interest and momentum regarding a PSO that these discussions should continue.  The group designated the following organizations/representatives to continue the discussion: 

David West, Colorado Patient Safety Coalition

Arja Adair, Colorado Foundation for Medical Care

Jeff Varnell, COPIC.

Lynn Parry, Colorado Medical Society

Peter Freytag, Colorado Health and Hospital Association

Marjorie Harbrecht, Colorado Clinical Guidelines Collaborative

Jennifer Dingman, PULSE

Ongoing Consultation:  Ed Dauer