Confidentiality Protections for Participants and Reports

Facilities that participate in the Patient Safety Reporting Program (PSRP) benefit from strong confidentiality protections. When you collect information about adverse events or near misses for the purpose of reporting to PSRP, Oregon law protects that information both inside and outside of your facility. Oregon law provides these protections to reduce the legal barriers that can prevent facilities from sharing information, which can directly impact patient safety learning and improvement across the state.

Information in Your Participating Facility is Protected by State Law
Any time you collect patient safety data after an adverse event for the purposes of and with the intent to report to PSRP, the information is confidential, may not be disclosed, and may not be requested or used by a court (ORS 442.846).

Patient safety data means oral communications or written reports, data, records, memoranda, analyses, deliberative work, statements, root cause analysis or action plans that are collected or developed to improve patient safety or health care quality (ORS 442.819).

Information You Report to Us is Protected by State Law
Any information you report to us is confidential and may not be requested or used by a court. Any information that we use to help Oregon facilities learn from one another is non-identifiable or presented in aggregate to protect the identities of the contributors. Oregon law specifically addresses the disclosure and protection of patient safety data collected by the Oregon Patient Safety Commission (ORS 442.819-442.851).

How We Keep Your Information Secure
The Oregon Patient Safety Commission is committed to protecting patient and provider data and has strict internal controls to maintain the security and privacy of all information collected. Because of this commitment, PSRP’s online system has undergone comprehensive web application security testing by an information technology security assessment company, Redspin Inc., to identify and eliminate potential vulnerabilities. It is continuously monitored for vulnerabilities.

This information is not legal advice and is not intended as a substitute for legal advice from an attorney about the Patient Safety Reporting Program and your legal rights. If you have questions about the applicability of these protections in your specific situation, you should seek the advice of legal counsel. Participation in the Patient Safety Reporting Program does not exempt your facility from information sharing requirements set by other state entities.