HJNO Mar/Apr 2019

Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2019 21 privilege protections to patient-safety data when it is collected, analyzed, or shared with others to improve safety. Building a Culture of Safety In 2005, Congress included this recom- mendation in the Patient Safety and Qual- ity Improvement Act to “facilitate an envi- ronment in which healthcare providers are able to discuss errors and openly learn from them.” Legal protections under the law helped providers exchange life-saving information. The law also allowed providers to join Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) that analyze data, develop recommenda- tions, and provide valuable assistance to PSO members. By July 2017, more than 2,200 hospitals had joined PSOs nationwide. Today, there are 84 PSOs recognized by the U.S. Depart- ment of Health and Human Services, includ- ing the LAPS-PSO, which has 53 Louisiana hospital members. Louisiana hospitals are making patients’ well-being their first priority by “sharing ideas to improve quality of care, safety, and patient experience,” said LAPS-PSO Exec- utive and Medical Director Dr. Floyd “Flip” Roberts. Roberts described the value of a safety culture where healthcare personnel feel comfortable reporting a “good catch” after they have just had to do something out of the ordinary to make sure that a patient didn’t have a bad outcome. Roberts added that, “the reason that more things don’t go wrong is that we have wonderful clinicians who catchmost of those events before they reach a patient.” “Whether an employee is wearing a suit or scrubs, this is a culture where you want the entire team to be aware of the patient’s condition and be able to speak up” if they see a potential hazard, said Mary Ellen Pratt, CEO of St. James Parish Hospital, a LAPS-PSO member and rural Critical Floyd “Flip” Roberts, MD Mary Ellen Pratt By July 2017, more than 2,200 hospitals had joined PSOs nationwide. Today, there are 84 PSOs recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including the LAPS-PSO, which has 53 Louisiana hospital members. “…the reason that more things don’t go wrong is that we have wonderful clinicians who catch most of those events before they reach a patient.” “Whether an employee is wearing a suit or scrubs, this is a culture where you want the entire team to be aware of the patient’s condition and be able to speak up.”