Patients first–the nation’s first radiology-specific Patient Safety Organization

The Strategic Radiology Patient Safety Organization (PSO) was listed by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services and the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ) on June 19, 2013, making it the first radiology-specific PSO in the United States

The Patient Safety Organization has afforded Strategic Radiology’s member practices an unprecedented opportunity to collaborate with their peers to improve patient safety. Patients served by all of our member practices are the beneficiaries.

Lisa Mead, RN, MS, CPHQ
Executive Director, SR-PSO

WHAT IS A PSO?

Through federal protections of legal privilege and confidentiality authorized by the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005, PSOs foster a culture of safety and create a secure environment where providers can collect and analyze data. The SR PSO is designed to help clinicians, hospitals, and health care organizations improve patient care through quality and safety analyses.

 

HOW DOES IT PROMOTE PATIENT SAFETY AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT?

The SR PSO aggregates data and uses improved methodologies for evaluating safety and quality. Using the PSO model to identify best practice measures, SR member groups track and benchmark patient safety and satisfaction metrics on behalf of clinicians, hospitals, and healthcare organizations.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AHRQ LISTING?

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF AHRQ LISTING?

AHRQ-listed PSOs are part of a national network focused on the reduction of adverse patient events and share the goal of improving the quality and safety of healthcare delivery. By providing confidentiality of data and work product, PSOs foster a secure environment in which clinicians and healthcare organizations can collect and analyze data, improving quality through identification and reduction of risks and hazards associated with patient care.

A CULTURE OF QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

Twice a year, radiologists, practice executives, and employees dedicated to quality-improvement gather to attend twice-annual Quality Forums. SR member practices may send an unlimited number of people, and many new members have used the forums to train their first quality officers.

 

ADVANCING PATIENT SAFETY