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OMA Patient Safety Activities
PURPOSE:
Improve the health care quality process and patient outcomes of the citizens of Oregon by concentrating on the identification and prevention of patient harm arising from adverse events.
ACCOUNTABILITIES:
- Promote a patient safety culture through education and ongoing communication with our members and associates
- Assist physicians in recognizing, finding and solving patient safety issues in both the inpatient and outpatient arena
- Develop a tool kit for physician groups at local levels to create a safe environment to investigate errors and a systematic approach to analyze errors
- Train physician groups on how to utilize these processes locally, in their own environment
- Develop talking points for committee members to use when discussing patient safety with medical groups, providers, patients and the media
- Partner with current physician patient safety leaders, medical societies and specialty societies to share best safety processes and practices
- Partner with the states providers, hospitals, health care managers, and nursing leadership on specific initiatives to improve Patient Safety
- Continue work with the state and regional policy makers to promote an environment that focuses on system process improvements to further patient safety
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The Oregon Patient Safety Commission is a semi-independent agency with a mission to improve patient safety by reducing the risk of serious adverse events occurring in Oregon’s health care system and by encouraging a culture of patient safety in Oregon.
Hospitals and other health centers can choose to participate. If they do, they must report all medical errors to the panel and notify affected patients in writing.
Case reports will be confidential, but the commission will publish yearly summaries of the data, suggesting trends, patterns and lessons learned.
Participants in Oregon's plan include hospitals, long-term care homes, pharmacies and nonhospital surgery and birthing centers. The commission's 17 members include the state health officer, Grant Higginson, MD, and 16 others appointed by the governor.
The following physicians have been appointed by Governor Kulongoski to serve on the Oregon Patient Safety Commission, created by legislation adopted during the 2003 legislative session and introduced in part at the request of the OMA: Grant Higginson, MD, Portland; Bruce Johnson, MD, Salem; David Labby, MD, Portland; Glenn S. Rodriguez, MD, Portland; Brett Sheppard, MD, Portland.
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Oregon passed a law in the latter half of 2003 that allows a physician to relay an expression of regret or apology to a patient and/or their family for a bad or undesirable outcome. Read more here.
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Links
Organizations with Focus on Health Care Safety and/or Quality
Online Publications Related to Patient Safety
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