The Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety (NCPS) is Nebraska’s only Patient Safety Organization (PSO) that is certified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). As a result of the Nebraska Patient Safety Improvement Act, NCPS was founded in 2006 through the collaborative efforts of the Nebraska Academy of Physician Assistants, Nebraska Hospital Association, Nebraska Medical Association, Nebraska Nurses Association, and Nebraska Pharmacists Association.
The function of the NCPS, and indeed all PSOs, is to collect and analyze data voluntarily reported by healthcare providers to help improve patient safety and healthcare quality. Part of this includes providing feedback to healthcare providers aimed at promoting learning and preventing future negative patient safety events. Working with a PSO makes it possible for information from healthcare providers to receive certain legal protections which can mitigate the fear often associated with reporting adverse patient events. Under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (the Patient Safety Act), AHRQ certifies and lists PSOs.
The Nebraska Coalition for Patient Safety works with providers anywhere in the United States to support healthcare providers in Nebraska and western Iowa in their efforts to improve patient safety. The NCPS is proud to be located within the Health Services Research and Administration (HSRA) department of the University of Nebraska Medical Center's College of Public Health through a service agreement. The mission of NCPS is to continuously improve the quality and safety of healthcare delivery in the region, which is consistent with state and national initiatives in rural health services research and education that influence the content and implementation of public policies in ways that improve the health of Nebraskans and people everywhere, with a particular focus on rural residents.
To learn more about NCPS and our team, please visit nepatientsafety.org
