Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement
The Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System is administered by the Vermont Department of Health for the purpose of improving patient safety, eliminating adverse events, and supporting quality improvement efforts by Vermont hospitals.
- Key Components
- Confidentiality of Information
- System Administration and Legislative Authority
- Additional Resources
Key Components
The Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System applies to all hospitals licensed by the Vermont Board of Health, including the Vermont State Hospital, with the exception of the Veterans' Administration Hospital.
Internal Hospital Procedures
- Each Vermont hospital must
- Establish internal policies and procedures to identify, track and analyze all adverse events and near misses
- Conduct appropriate causal analysis
- Develop and implement corrective action plans
External Reports
- Each Vermont hospital must report to the Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System incidences of any of the National Quality Forum’s twenty-eight (28) serious reportable events; and for each event:
- Conduct an appropriate causal analysis
- Develop and implement a corrective action plan
- File the causal analysis and corrective action plan with the Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System
- Each hospital must report any incidence of intentional unsafe acts
Hospital Reporting
Disclosure to Patients
- Each hospital must develop policies and procedures requiring disclosure to patients relating to adverse events that cause death or serious bodily injury.
Confidentiality of Information
The Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System is designed to improve patient safety. As provided for in 18 V.S.A. §1917, all information made available to the Department of Health through the Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System is:
- confidential and privileged
- exempt from the public access to records law
- immune from subpoena or other disclosure and not subject to discovery or introduction into evidence in any civil or administrative action against a provider of professional health services
System Administration and Legislative Authority
The Intentional Unsafe Act provisions of the Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System became effective on July 1, 2006, and the remaining provisions on January 1, 2008.
- Final Rule - Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System
- National Quality Forum: Serious Reportable Events
- Vermont Statutes: Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System (18 V.S.A. Chapter 43A)