ADVOCACYAQIPS leads efforts to measurably improve patient safety and quality of care by ensuring the continued implementation of the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act. The following are among AQIPS many advocacy efforts: 10th ANNUAL CONGRESSIONAL DAYLearn valuable advocacy skills and discuss current issues and legislation important to PSOs with your Congressional members at the AQIPS Congressional Day. IMPROVING HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY THROUGH PSO COLLABORATIONAQIPS applauds the passage of the 21 Century Cures Act. Providing Health Information Technology Developers with the same protections as providers under the PSQIA will permit providers and vendors to work together through the PSO protections to share responsibility for HIT safety. This will permit the healthcare community and Health IT Developers to improve the quality of clinical care through the use of HIT. The legislation includes the AQIPS-supported expanded PSQIA protections for Health Information Technology Developers. We anticipate that these expanded PSQIA protections will incentivize EHR vendors and other health information technology developers to work with providers in the PSO's confidential safety culture.
(c) TREATMENT OF HEALTH INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPERS
WITH RESPECT TO PATIENT SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—In applying part C of title IX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299b–21 et seq.), a health information technology developer shall be treated as a provider (as defined in section 921 of such Act) for purposes of reporting and conducting patient safety activities concerning improving clinical care through the use of health information technology that could result in improved patient safety, health care quality, or health care outcomes.
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall submit to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, a report concerning best practices and current trends voluntarily provided, without identifying individual providers or disclosing or using protected health information or individually identifiable information, by patient safety organizations to improve the integration of health information technology into clinical practice.
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