[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 140 (Friday, July 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Page 42737]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-17532]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Patient Safety Organizations: Delisting for Cause for The Steward
Group PSO
AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.
ACTION: Notice of delisting.
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SUMMARY: AHRQ has delisted The Steward Group PSO as a Patient Safety
Organization (PSO) due to its failure to correct a deficiency. The
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act)
authorizes the listing of PSOs, which are entities or component
organizations whose mission and primary activity is to conduct
activities to improve patient safety and the quality of health care
delivery. HHS issued the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final
Rule (Patient Safety Rule) to implement the Patient Safety Act. AHRQ
administers the provisions of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety
Rule relating to the listing and operation of PSOs.
DATES: The directories for both listed and delisted PSOs are ongoing
and reviewed weekly by AHRQ. The delisting was effective at 12:00
Midnight ET (2400) on June 19, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Both directories can be accessed electronically at the
following HHS Web site: http://www.PSO.AHRQ.gov/index.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eileen Hogan, Center for Quality
Improvement and Patient Safety, AHRQ, 540 Gaither Road, Rockville, MD
20850; Telephone (toll free): (866) 403-3697; Telephone (local): (301)
427-1111; TTY (toll free): (866) 438-7231; TTY (local): (301) 427-1130;
Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
The Patient Safety Act, Public Law 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26,
provides for the formation of PSOs, which collect, aggregate, and
analyze confidential information regarding the quality and safety of
health care delivery. The Patient Safety Rule, 42 CFR part 3,
authorizes AHRQ, on behalf of the Secretary of HHS, to list as a PSO an
entity that attests that it meets the statutory and regulatory
requirements for listing. A PSO can be ``delisted'' by the Secretary if
it is found no longer to meet the requirements of the Patient Safety
Act and Patient Safety Rule. Section 3.108(d) of the Patient Safety
Rule requires AHRQ to provide public notice when it removes an
organization from the list of federally approved PSOs.
The Steward Group PSO failed to respond to a Notice of Preliminary
Finding of Deficiency sent by AHRQ pursuant to 42 CFR 3.108(a)(2) and a
Notice of Proposed Revocation and Delisting sent by AHRQ pursuant to 42
CFR 3.108(a)(3)(iii)(C) which found that The Steward Group PSO failed
to have, within every 24-month period following the PSO's date of
initial listing, at least two bona fide contracts with different
providers for the purpose of receiving and reviewing patient safety
work product, and to notify AHRQ no later than 45 calendar days prior
to the last day of the pertinent 24-month period that the PSO has met
this requirement. The Steward Group PSO did not exercise its
opportunity to be heard in writing to respond to the deficiencies
specified in the notices, and has not provided any evidence of a good
faith effort to correct the deficiency.
Accordingly, AHRQ has revoked the listing of The Steward Group PSO,
PSO number P0088, a component entity of The Steward Group, Inc.,
effective at 12:00 Midnight ET (2400) on June 19, 2012.
More information on PSOs can be obtained through AHRQ's PSO Web
site at http://www.PSO.AHRQ.gov/index.html.
Dated: July 3, 2012.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-17532 Filed 7-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M