Updated List of Serious
Reportable Events for Massachusetts
The
Massachusetts Department of Public Health has updated its list of serious
reportable events (SREs) that hospitals are required to report to the state.
Effective Oct. 1, 2012, the new list includes 29 different types of adverse
events and medical errors that the state has deemed SREs.
The
expanded list now includes unstageable (as well as stage 3 and 4, which were previously
reportable) pressure ulcers acquired after admission, death or serious injury
of a newborn associated with delivery, death or serious injury resulting from
failure to communicate test results or from the loss of an irreplaceable
specimen, and death or serious injury associated with a metallic object in MRI.
It also requires hospitals to continue reporting falls with injury, such as
broken bones and subdural hematomas, wrong-site procedures, retained foreign
bodies and injury from medication errors.
"The
intent of collecting data and analyzing and reporting SREs is to gain a greater
understanding of how these adverse events and medical errors happen, and to
learn how we can prevent them," said Janet Barnes, RN, JD, Executive Director
of Compliance and Risk Management. "While we believe that not all SREs can be
prevented, the long-term goal of reporting SREs is to minimize the number of
these events through increased awareness and development of robust systems for
preventing errors."
Since
2008, Massachusetts law has mandated that hospitals and surgery centers
identify and report SREs to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
For
the complete list of SREs, visit BWHPikeNotes.org. When you identify a SRE, please immediately notify Risk Management
at 617-264-3015.
http://www.bwhpikenotes.org/Employee_Resources/Compliance/Risk_Management/adverse.aspx