Patient Safety Organizations: Voluntary Relinquishment From the Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation Patient Safety Organization (GHA-PSO)

AHRQ has accepted a notification of voluntary relinquishment from The Georgia Hospital Association Research and Education Foundation Patient Safety Organization (GHA-PSO) of its status as a Patient Safety Organization (PSO). The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act), Pub. L. 109-41, 42 U.S.C. 299b-21--b-26, provides for the formation of PSOs, which collect, aggregate, and analyze confidential information regarding the quality and safety of health care delivery. The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Final Rule (Patient Safety Rule), 42 CFR part 3, authorizes AHRQ, on behalf of the Secretary of HHS, to list as a PSO an entity that attests that it meets the statutory and regulatory requirements for listing. A PSO can be "delisted" by the Secretary if it is found to no longer meet the requirements of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule, including when a PSO chooses to voluntarily relinquish its status as a PSO for any reason.