Improvements on patient safety rules

With a new law in place, regulations are now needed so doctors can report mistakes voluntarily without fear of prosecution.

Editorial. May 19, 2008.

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, which was strongly supported by the AMA, is a landmark piece of legislation that creates a positive framework to achieve its stated goal. Now that the measure is inching closer to being put into practice, the AMA is offering some changes that will improve the law's intent.

In February, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published the long-awaited proposed rule that would implement the law. The legislation grew from increasing concerns about patient safety, most notably over news of deadly medical errors published in a 1999 Institute of Medicine report.

The proposed regulations call for creating a federal framework that would allow health care professionals to report medical errors voluntarily to patient safety organizations, without fear of legal prosecution. Confidentiality and legal safeguards are essential to ensure physician participation and encourage voluntary reporting.

Last month, the AMA applauded the AHRQ and reaffirmed that it supports the establishment of a voluntary reporting system. In an April 11 comment letter to AHRQ, American Medical Association Executive Vice President and CEO Michael D. Maves, MD, MBA, wrote that the proposed rule provides additional guidance for creating a patient safety evaluation system that will set the stage for enhancing patient safety activities across health care delivery settings.