NCPS: A Patient Safety Organization Serving the Region
WHAT IS NCPS?
The Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety (NCPS) is designated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality as a federally listed Patient Safety Organization (PSO). NCPS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with a governing board of representatives from five founding organizations in Nebraska. Although NCPS is located on the University of Nebraska Medical Center campus, it is non-partisan and not affiliated with any one hospital or healthcare system.
HOW WAS NCPS FORMED?
In 2005, the Nebraska Legislature passed the Patient Safety Improvement Act which called for formation of a PSO in Nebraska to encourage a culture of safety to improve the safety and quality of healthcare delivery in the region. NCPS was formed in 2006.
HOW IS NCPS FUNDED?
NCPS is funded by membership fees and additional funding through the Patient Safety Cash Fund established through Legislative Bill 25. This Bill was endorsed by the Nebraska Medical Association and the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants and became effective in 2020.
REPORT:
Healthcare organizations and providers that have written agreements in place with NCPS report patient safety information confidentially and without fear of legal discovery.
ANALYZE:
NCPS data experts collect and analyze data from multiple providers, to identify trends and patterns. NCPS assists healthcare providers in investigating single events and analyzing aggregate data in a protected and confidential manner.
SHARE:
Through event analysis, NCPS shares insight into underlying causes of patient safety events and provides members with education and resources as part of the feedback loop in the reporting relationships.
LEARN:
Lessons learned from event reports can be used to prevent future patient safety events.
IMPROVE:
NCPS assists providers with developing effective approaches to improve patient safety and quality through the use of their safety event data.
A healthcare provider can only obtain the confidentiality and privilege protections of the Patient Safety Act by working with a federally listed PSO.
CONFIDENTIALITY & PRIVILEGE PROTECTIONS
Confidentiality and privilege protections can help overcome provider fear of liability exposure for sharing information about patient safety events or unsafe conditions and participating in quality improvement activities.
FEDERAL PROTECTIONS
Federal protections are broader than most state protections, so all licensed or certified healthcare providers (facilities and individuals) can participate with NCPS.
PROTECTIONS ARE NATIONWIDE AND UNIFORM
Healthcare providers and systems can share protected information among affiliated providers in multiple states through NCPS membership.
SHARED LEARNING
Members benefit from the insights gained by NCPS evaluative reports and aggregate data analyses from multiple providers, especially for high risk, low volume patient safety events.
