Massachusetts § 51I - Checklists of care

§ 51I. Checklists of care

Section 51I. (a) As used in this section the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

''Adverse event'', injury to a patient resulting from a medical intervention and not from the underlying condition of the patient.

''Checklist of care'', pre-determined steps to be followed by a team of healthcare providers before, during and after a given procedure to decrease the possibility of adverse effects and other patient harm by articulating standards of care.

''Facility,'' a hospital, an institution maintaining an Intensive Care Unit, an institution providing surgical services or clinic providing ambulatory surgery.

(b) The department shall encourage the development and implementation of checklists of care that prevent adverse events and reduce healthcare-associated infection rates. The department shall develop model checklists of care, which may be implemented by facilities,-provided, however, that facilities may develop and implement checklists independently.

(c) Facilities shall report data and information relative to the use or non-use of checklists to the department and the Betsy Lehman center for patient safety and medical error reduction. The department may consider facilities that use similar programs to be in compliance. Reports shall be made in the manner and form established by the department. The department shall publicly report on individual hospitals' compliance rates.