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The Patient Safety and Quality
Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorized the
creation of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) to improve
the quality and safety of U.S. health care delivery. The Patient
Safety Act encourages clinicians and health care organizations
to voluntarily report and share quality and patient safety
information without fear of legal discovery. Despite the many
terms used to describe medical errors, patient safety is the
focus of multiple patient safety organizations. Their task
is to collect data, assess it for trends, and make recommendations
to hospitals and others about ways to prevent future mistakes.
The US Department of Health and Human Services collates the
data and is charged with disseminating best practices. Some
patient safety organizations are:
- Agency for Healthcare Research
and Quality
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
is a federal agency whose mission is to improve the quality,
safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of healthcare for
all Americans.
- National Quality Forum
The National Quality Forum (NQF) is a private, not-for-profit
membership organization created to develop and implement
a national strategy for healthcare quality measurement
and reporting. It is a unique public-private partnership
with broad participation from more than 260 organizations
that represent all sectors of the healthcare industry,
including healthcare providers, consumers, employers,
insurers, and other stakeholders. Among its members are
the AARP, AFL-CIO, the American Hospital Association,
the American Medical Association, the American Nurses
Association, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists,
the Ford Motor Company, and General Motors.
- Institute of Safe Medication
Practices
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is
a nonprofit organization that works closely with healthcare
practitioners and institutions, regulatory agencies, professional
organizations and the pharmaceutical industry to provide
education about adverse drug events and their prevention.
- Institute of Medicine
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is a nonprofit organization
of the National Academies for science-based advice on
matters of biomedical science, medicine, and health.
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
is a government agency that administers the Medicare program
and is responsible for the administrative simplification
standards from the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and quality standards in healthcare
facilities through its survey and certification activity.
- Joint Commission
The Joint Commission, previously known as the Joint Commission
for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO),
evaluates and accredits more than 15,000 healthcare organizations
and programs in the United States. An independent, not-for-profit
organization, the Joint Commission is the nation's predominant
standards-setting and accrediting body in healthcare.
- Institute of Healthcare Improvement
The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) is a not-for-profit
organization driving the improvement of health by advancing
the quality and value of healthcare.
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