Its mission is to improve the quality of healthcare in Pennsylvania by collecting and analyzing patient safety information, developing solutions to patient safety issues, and sharing this information through education and collaboration.
In June 2009, the Authority began collecting infection reports from nursing homes.
[1] The Authority is charged to take steps to reduce and eliminate such events through the identification of problems evident in the collected data and recommendation of solutions that promote patient safety.
[6] Efforts to improve patient safety in Pennsylvania include patient safety liaisons providing education on a facility-by-facility basis, in-depth education programs, collaborative improvement projects with Pennsylvania healthcare facilities, and the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory.
[7] The Advisory, a quarterly publication, chronicles events reported to the Authority, “especially those associated with a high combination of frequency, severity, and possibility of solution; novel problems and solutions; and problems in which urgent communication of information could have a significant impact on patient outcomes.”[8] The Authority received the 2006 John M. Eisenberg Award for advancing patient safety and quality in the Commonwealth, presented by both the Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum.