Updated May 4, 2016: Thanks for all of your feedback on this post! We were altered that we didn't discuss an alternative to a PSO that was mentioned in the final CMS rule. RL encourages everyone to review the requirements within their organization, and determine whether you will need to belong to a PSO by January 2017.
If you are going to join a PSO and wish to submit electronically from RL6, we encourage you start the process sooner rather than later!
Requirements are coming out of the woodwork that will mandate hospitals to report to a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). PSOs were established over a decade ago to improve patient safety and healthcare quality. PSOs conduct many activities including collecting and analyzing patient safety work product (PSWP), which legislation protects as confidential information. PSWP can include data that identifies the providers involved in and/or the person who reported information about a patient safety event, as well as protected patient health information.
Next year, big changes are coming to PSOs. US healthcare organizations greater than 50 beds that want to contract with the health insurance exchanges need to join a PSO by January 1, 2017. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, proposed this change to help hospital's comply with the quality provisions of the Affordable Care Act. The deadline originally was 2015 but CMS extended it to allow hospitals time to choose a PSO and begin reporting.
Next January may seem a way off, but it isn't! If your hospital will need to report to a PSO, now is the time to start researching your options so you're prepared once the new criteria comes into play.
RL offers a PSO solution where organizations can export event files to send directly to the PSO of their choosing. Using RL's File Interchange Module (FIM), hospitals can export a standard XML file for submission to a PSO. Since services are required from RL to set up FIM, the sooner you work with RL, the better. If you wait too long, you might not meet the deadline!
What does this mean for RL clients?
- If you’re using an older version of RL software (RMPro) and you need to submit to a PSO, you’ll need to upgrade to a newer version of RL software first in order to submit electronically. Fill out the form below and we'll get in touch!
- If you'll need to submit to a PSO by 2017 and you have a contract with a PSO, RL can get you set up with the FIM module. Complete the form and a Sales rep will contact you.
- If you're already submitting to a PSO, congratulations: you're ahead of the game!