[NRSKarenRN]

PA House Passes Whistle Blower Protections

HB 2371, a bill which PA Nurses has supported since its inception, provides whistleblower protections for Pennsylvania doctors, nurses and other licensed health workers. On June 8, 2004, the House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved the bill. The bill now goes to the state House for consideration.

HB 2371 would establish a confidential toll-free for health care workers to report problems pertaining to patient safety and quality of care, which would then be investigated by the state's Patient Safety Authority.

The bill also prohibits facilities from retaliating against health workers who report those conditions in good faith.

PA Nurses continues to support the passage of this bill by the state House. Support the bill here.

[Nurse4years]

[quote=NRSKarenRN]

PA House Passes Whistle Blower Protections

HB 2371, a bill which PA Nurses has supported since its inception, provides whistleblower protections for Pennsylvania doctors, nurses and other licensed health workers. On June 8, 2004, the House Health and Human Services Committee unanimously approved the bill. The bill now goes to the state House for consideration.



HB 2371 would establish a confidential toll-free for health care workers to report problems pertaining to patient safety and quality of care, which would then be investigated by the state's Patient Safety Authority.

The bill also prohibits facilities from retaliating against health workers who report those conditions in good faith.

What is the Patient Safety Authority?

Mschrisco

[NRSKarenRN]

The Patient Safety Authority is an independent state agency established under Act 13 of 2002, the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error ("MCARE") Act. It is charged with taking steps to reduce and eliminate medical errors by identifying problems and recommending solutions that promote patient safety in hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities and birthing centers.

The Authority is currently implementing PA-PSRS, the mandatory statewide Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System, in three phases among more than 400 healthcare facilities in the Commonwealth. All facilities subject to Act 13 reporting requirements will be submitting reports through PA-PSRS by June 28, 2004. In addition,through its contractor, the Authority has issued its first patient safety advisory. Additional information about PA-PSRS is available online. If you represent a facility that is already enrolled in mandatory reporting, you can log onto PA-PSRS to submit a report.

www.psa.state.pa.us

[Nurse4years]

Is this exclusive to Pennsylvania, or do other states have somewhat of the same?
Mschrisco