Welcome to AHRQ's Patient Safety Organization Web site

Through the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Congress authorized the creation of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) to reduce the incidence of events that adversely affect patient safety. PSOs are designed to improve the quality and safety of U.S. health care by encouraging clinicians and health care organizations to report and share—voluntarily—data on patient safety events without fear of legal discovery.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) administers the provisions of the Act dealing with PSO operations. This Web site is designed to give you an understanding of the:

• Purpose and goals of PSOs
• Protections offered within the construct of PSOs
• Process for becoming PSOs
• Procedures and Tools (Common Formats) for reporting patient safety events

For more information on PSOs, go to PSO Overview.