Listed Patient Safety Organizations

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule) to implement the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), which authorizes the creation of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs). The Patient Safety Rule (PDF file, 450 KB. PDF Help) establishes the requirements that an entity must meet to become and remain listed as a PSO, and the procedures and processes that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (Secretary) will follow to assess an entity's eligibility and compliance with the Patient Safety Rule. A PSO can be "delisted" by the Secretary if it is found to no longer meet these requirements.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) administers the provisions of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule. AHRQ is responsible for maintaining a list of those entities whose PSO certifications have been accepted in accordance with Section 3.104(a) of the Patient Safety Rule. In addition, AHRQ maintains a publicly available list of entities whose certifications as PSOs have been accepted as required by Section 3.104(d) of the Patient Safety Rule.

Before working with a PSO, please review important information regarding Listed PSOs and Delisted PSOs. The Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule provide confidentiality and privilege protections for patient safety work product (PSWP). Except in one circumstance (go to Delisted PSOs), information assembled or developed by providers for reporting to a PSO must ultimately be reported to an entity that is currently listed as a PSO by the Secretary.

AHRQ has established a process to notify health care providers when the status of a listed PSO changes (e.g., delisting). To request notification about a change in status of a specific PSO, please send an e-mail to ProviderNotification@ahrq.hhs.gov and specify the PSO(s) about which you would like to be notified. You may specify more than one PSO.

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