AHRQ issues Patient Safety Act guidance for PSOs, providers

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Office for Civil Rights Friday issued guidance to clarify what qualifies as Patient Safety Work Product under its final rule implementing the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, and how health care providers can satisfy both the rule and external reporting or recordkeeping obligations. The law provides legal and confidentiality protections for PSWP, including information that health care providers report to Patient Safety Organizations to improve quality and patient safety.