MELVILLE, N.Y., Jan. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NAPA Anesthesia Patient Safety Institute has become one of only 89 Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) in the country, following approval granted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, on December 10, 2019.
Establishing its own federally listed PSO is a giant step forward for North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA), which has grown to become one of the nation’s leading single-specialty anesthesia and perioperative management companies since it was founded by physicians in 1986. This puts NAPA on the path to creating a uniform culture of safety across its entire geographic footprint. NAPA annually serves more than 1.2 million patients in over 300 hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers from coast to coast, and as a PSO, NAPA clinicians in any state can now discuss cases without fear of punitive repercussions. NAPA’s PSO status facilitates—and, in fact, encourages—open discussion among clinicians and healthcare facility partners about adverse events, root cause analysis and action plans, in pursuit of achieving better outcomes.
Julie Marhalik-Helms, BSN, RN, NAPA’s Vice President of Quality Improvement, said: “NAPA has long recognized the value that a PSO bestows on providers, partners and patients. As a founding member of the Anesthesia Business Group (ABG), NAPA supported the establishment of the ABG PSO in 2009 and utilized that pathway to drive a patient-first organization. As NAPA has grown and developed its infrastructure, our belief in the powerful impact that a PSO has on patient care and clinician wellness inspired the evolution of the NAPA Anesthesia Patient Safety Institute. With our own PSO, we can develop new initiatives, maximize data and allocate more resources to case reviews and caring for our clinical caregivers.”
PSOs were mandated by the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) to improve quality and safety by reducing the incidence of events that adversely affect patients. In proposing the Act, legislators acknowledged that to reduce adverse events and hospital readmissions, healthcare providers needed a protective environment that would allow for the free exchange of information. To this end, conversations and activities under the PSO are legally protected, so that providers can review adverse cases through the PSO to identify how best to prevent reoccurrence and ultimately deliver safer patient care.
Marhalik-Helms added: “NAPA’s investment in creating a PSO signifies our dedication to being the anesthesia destination of choice. For anesthesia clinicians, this means working confidently in a culture of safety and collaboration, in an environment where everyone understands that if we expect our clinicians to deliver the best care for our patients, we must do everything we can to take care of our clinicians.”
About NAPA
As a clinician-led organization, North American Partners in Anesthesia (NAPA) is redefining healthcare, delivering unsurpassed excellence to its partners and patients every day. Since its founding by physicians in 1986, NAPA has grown to become one of the nation’s leading single-specialty anesthesia and perioperative management companies, serving more than 1.2 million patients annually in more than 300 healthcare facilities nationwide. For more information, please visit NAPAanesthesia.com.
Media Contact
Judith Santana, Marketing Manager
North American Partners in Anesthesia
P: (516) 580-0094
E: JSantana@NAPAanesthesia.com