Rhode Island lawmakers have approved patient-safety legislation that would create a database for voluntary reporting of medical errors by healthcare providers and insurance companies, to compliment existing reporting requirements. The legislation would also establish a 14-member care-advisory committee to review the database findings and create quality-improvement strategies.
Under this legislation, hospitals, nursing homes, health insurers and various reporting agencies would pay an annual surcharge to fund the Patient Safety Organization, which would be responsible for carrying out the initiative’s goals.
Rhode Island law already requires mandatory reporting of medical errors by healthcare facilities.