Patient Safety Organizations – New Court Case Provides New Opportunities

Exciting news for those in the PSO world! The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit issued an opinion (In re Baycare Medical Group, 101 F.4th 1287 (11th Cir. 2024)) on May 14, 2024 that expands the scope of information, known as “Patient Safety Work Product,” protected by the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act (“PSQIA”). The Court rejects the “sole purpose” test articulated by other courts and the Department of Health and Human Services (“HHS”), finding that the test and HHS’s guidance “contradicts” the PSQIA’s final regulations. The “sole purpose” test was extremely limiting in what providers could categorize as Patient Safety Work Product because the information had to be generated solely for reporting to a PSO. Now, with the Eleventh Circuit’s rejection of the test, it allows additional types of information to qualify as Patient Safety Work Product. Join Horty, Springer and Mattern partners Dan Mulholland and Charlie Chulack for a discussion of the PSQIA, the “sole purpose” test, the In re Baycare Medical Group case, and how the opinion will affect PSOs, and providers that contract with PSOs, during the podcast “Patient Safety Organizations – New Court Case Provides New Opportunities.”