National Academy for State Health Policy

Patient Safety Toolbox for States

How to navigate the toolbox

About the toolbox

As of October 2007, 26 states plus the District of Columbia had passed legislation or regulation related to hospital reporting of adverse events to a state agency.[1] Many of these new laws and regulations are intended to hold health care facilities accountable for weaknesses in their systems. They also have the potential to improve patient safety through event report analysis and by dissemination of best practices and lessons learned.

This electronic toolbox is intended to provide states with tools they can use or modify as they develop or improve adverse event reporting systems. The toolbox includes information (policies, practices, forms, reports, methods, and contracts) related to states' reporting systems, links to other Web resources, and fast facts and issues related to patient safety.

Many of the resources contained in this toolbox were initially collected as part of a NASHP initiative, supported by the Commonwealth Fund, that helped to identify opportunities for improving the collection, analysis, and feedback of data obtained through state adverse event reporting systems. That initiative resulted in Maximizing the Use of State Adverse Event Data to Improve Patient Safety and focused on 11 states with adverse event reporting systems.

The resources contained in this toolbox are organized by both state and content area.

States

State profiles of the 26 states with adverse event reporting systems plus the District of Columbia are included in this section. These pages include the tools and resources developed by each state.

Content area

To view the resources developed by states and others by content area, click on one of the topics below:

Background Information
   -Web sites of state reporting systems

   -States' authorizing statutes and regulations

   -Advisory groups

Data collection tools

   -Reportable event forms

   -Lists of clarifications of reportable events

   -User's guides for facilities

Data analysis tools

Data feedback tools
   -Public reports

   -Alerts and advisories

   -Legislative reports

Other useful tools and resources

Feedback

[1] In order to be included in this count, the systems must be administered by a state or quasi-state agency. NE enacted legislation that requires annual reporting of events to a nonprofit organization with no government oversight and as a result it is not included.

NASHP's Patient Safety Toolbox for States is supported by the Commonwealth Fund, a national, private foundation based in New York City that supports independent research on health and social issues. The views presented here are those of the author and not necessarily those of the Commonwealth Fund, its directors, officers, or staff.


	If you have questions or comments or thoughts on how we might serve you better, please e-mail us at info@nashp.org, or you may contact us at NASHP, 10 Free St., 2nd Floor, Portland, ME 04101. 207-874-6524. Copyright 2002 National Academy for State Health Policy. All rights reserved.