[Federal Register: February 21, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 35)]
[Notices]
[Page 9570]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr21fe08-66]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Office for Civil Rights: Audio Conference on Proposed Regulations
Related to Patient Safety
AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HHS; Office for
Civil Rights, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of audio conference.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality Director Dr. Carolyn Clancy and Office
for Civil Rights Deputy Director of Health Information Privacy Susan
McAndrew will host a joint audio conference February 29, 2008 from 2-3
p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) to discuss the recently published proposed
regulation regarding Patient Safety and Quality Improvement and
statutory confidentiality protections. The purpose of this audio
conference is to facilitate public understanding of the proposed
regulation and rulemaking process outlined in the Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking published in the Federal Register February 12, 2008. To
register for the audio conference, log on to http://www.academyhealth.org/ahrq/psoaudio/
.
DATES: The live audio conference will be Feb. 29 from 2-3 p.m. (Eastern
Standard Time).
ADDRESSES: The proposed regulation can be viewed on the Federal
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/ContentViewer?objectId=09000064803acce8&disposition=attachment&contentType=html
.
The audio conference is open to everyone; however, discussions
during this forum will not be included in official public comments.
Public comment on the proposed regulations will be accepted through
April 14, 2008.
Comments can be submitted by any of the following methods: Federal
eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment&o=09000064803acce8
.
Comments should include the agency name (Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality and/or Office for Civil Rights) and RIN 0919-AA01.
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Center for Quality Improvement and
Patient Safety, Attention: Patient Safety Act Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking Comments, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 540
Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland 20850.
Comments sent by facsimile (FAX) transmission or electronic mail
will not be accepted.
Comments received through the eRulemaking Portal can be viewed
online at either of the Web sites listed above. All comments received
through the eRulemaking Portal, mail, and hand delivery/courier are
available for public inspection at the AHRQ Information Resources
Center, which is located at 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, Maryland
20850. The Information Resources Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5
p.m. Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Crown, Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality, 301-427-1258 or ellen.crown@ahrq.hhs.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the Patient Safety and Quality
Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), the Secretary is
authorized to list Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs), organizations
that will work with providers to collect and analyze patient safety
related data. The Statute sets forth and the recently published
proposed regulation explains certifications that must be submitted by
entities in order to be listed as PSOs. PSOs will provide analysis of
data and feedback to providers to assist them in improving patient
safety.
The Patient Safety Act protects the confidentiality of data shared
by providers prepared by the PSO as well as other related materials,
defined in the statute and proposed regulations. This legal protection
of information addresses significant barriers that currently exists--
the fear of legal liability or sanctions that can result from reporting
a patient safety event. Strong confidentiality provisions are key to
encouraging voluntary reporting, and facilitating the aggregation of
large volumes of data which in turn aids in identifying patterns of
patient safety events. Under the Patient Safety Act, the imposition of
civil monetary penalties is authorized for breaches of its
confidentiality provisions. The confidentiality protections of patient
safety information are to be implemented in a way that does not
interfere with other health care reporting obligations of providers,
e.g., under State or local laws.
Dated: February 13, 2008.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
AHRQ, Director.
[FR Doc. 08-776 Filed 2-20-08; 8:45am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M