Relating to the reporting of serious reportable events, and providing penalties

Serious reportable events include surgical events, product or device events, patient protection events, care management events, environmental events, potential criminal events, and radiologic events detailed in the bill. The bill requires that following the occurrence of a serious reportable event, a facility shall conduct a root cause analysis of the event and shall either implement a corrective action plan or report to the director any reasons for not taking corrective action. The director shall design the serious reportable event reporting system to allow a facility to file the required reports by electronic means and shall encourage a facility to use the electronic filing option when that option is feasible for the facility. The bill provides that serious reportable events under the bill do not constitute child abuse or dependent adult abuse and are excluded from the child abuse and dependent adult abuse reporting requirements, if the facility makes a determination within hours of discovery of the serious reportable event and files the reports required in a timely fashion. A facility that determines a serious reportable event has occurred must inform persons within the facility who are mandatory reporters of child abuse or dependent adult abuse. A mandatory reporter otherwise required to report child abuse or dependent adult abuse is relieved of the duty to report an event the facility determines to be a serious reportable event. The bill does not affect the protections and immunities applicable to reporting of child abuse and dependent adult abuse. Additionally, if a serious reportable event is reported by a facility, no other state agency or licensing board is required to conduct an investigation of or obtain or create investigative data based upon other reports of the same event. Also, if a facility is required to report a serious reportable event pursuant to another state law that meets the requirements for compliance with the bill, DIAL shall recognize the report in lieu of a report made under the bill if DIAL is provided a copy of the report.7. The director shall establish a serious reportable event reporting system requiring certain information as detailed in the bill. The director shall take action relating to serious reportable events as described in the bill. The director may collaborate with the department of health and human services to administer the director’s duties and responsibilities. The bill requires the boards of medicine, physician assistants, nursing, pharmacy, and podiatry to maintain a record of complaints that come to the attention of the respective board and are determined to qualify as serious reportable events. Within working days of making a determination that an event qualifies as a serious reportable event, the respective board shall forward a report of the event to the director. The director shall then forward the report to the facility named in the report and the facility shall determine whether the event has been previously reported and shall notify the director. The bill requires the director to report the list of serious reportable events to the national quality forum. The director shall monitor amendments to the national quality forum’s list of serious reportable events, monitor efforts in other states, and report any modification to the list to the general assembly.