ABOUT PSA
 
 
 
 
 

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The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) is an independent state agency that collects reports of patient safety events from Pennsylvania healthcare facilities. Pennsylvania is the only state that requires healthcare facilities to report all instances of harm (i.e., serious events) or potential for harm (i.e., incidents). PSA analyzes those reports to prevent recurrence—either by identifying trends unapparent to a single facility or flagging a single event that has a high likelihood of recurrence—and disseminates that information through multiple channels.

Vision, Mission, and Values

Vision: Safe healthcare for all patients

Mission: Improve the quality of healthcare in Pennsylvania by collecting and analyzing patient safety information, developing solutions to patient safety issues, and sharing this information through education and collaboration

Values:
  • Communication
  • Honesty
  • Excellence
  • Efficiency
  • Respect

History

The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) was founded in 2002 with the passage of the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of Error (MCARE) Act, also known as Act 13 of 2002. This landmark legislation was designed to ensure the continued availability of comprehensive, high-quality medical care in Pennsylvania.

The creation of MCARE involved collaboration among various stakeholders, including providers, hospitals and healthcare systems, and the Pennsylvania Association for Justice (then called the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association). Today, MCARE stands as one of the most comprehensive state-level patient safety laws within the United States.

MCARE’s balanced, three-pronged approach includes tort reform, affordable medical malpractice insurance premiums, and patient safety, which led to the establishment of PSA.

As an independent state agency, PSA operates outside the Pennsylvania governor’s direct jurisdiction and does not receive tax dollars. Instead, it is funded by annual assessments paid by healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, ambulatory surgical facilities, birthing centers, abortion facilities, and nursing homes, based on their bed count or number of procedure rooms.

A key component of MCARE was the creation of the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS). This system serves as the mandatory mechanism for acute and ambulatory care facilities to report instances of harm and near misses. Nursing homes are required to report infections since the passage of Act 52 (Chapter 4 of MCARE) in 2007.

Click here for more information on event reporting in Pennsylvania.

Strategic Plan

2024 Authority Strategic Plan
Reimagine Patient Safety 2029 is the Patient Safety Authority’s strategic plan for fiscal years 2025–2029. Reimagine Patient Safety 2029 will provide the direction for priorities, decision-making, initiatives, and resource allocation. It will help ensure Pennsylvania continues to lead the way to safe healthcare for all patients. The plan includes three main goals critical to the success of our mission.

2020 Authority Strategic Plan
The strategic plan for the Authority adopted by the Board in November 2020.

2017 Authority Strategic Plan
The Authority continues to be committed to its key programs. However, the Authority also believes that expanding its outreach to patients and other sectors will enhance patient safety for all patients in the Commonwealth.

2012 Authority Strategic Plan
Following the 2007 strategic initiatives, in 2011, the Authority again sought stakeholder input. The primary output was the identification and development of critical issues facing the Authority and strategic directions that should be taken by Authority staff to address said issues, discussed in its 2012 strategic plan.

Alignment of Authority Activities with National Patient Safety Priorities
The Authority has a comprehensive patient safety mandate and seeks to further build on its successful track record in pursuit of this mission. To this end, as outlined in its 2012 strategic plan, the Authority sought field and expert input to assess its alignment with national patient safety priorities. An excerpt of the findings, focused on alignment with national priorities, is available through the above link.

2007 Authority Strategic Plan
Following feedback from key stakeholders, the Authority developed a comprehensive strategic plan that addresses the patient safety needs of Pennsylvania’s healthcare community to better protect patients.

Privacy Policy

The Patient Safety Authority (PSA) respects your right to privacy and will make every effort to protect it when you visit our website or contact us by email. Here are some things you should know about how we protect your privacy.

​Changes to This Privacy and Security Statement

The patientsafety.pa.gov Privacy and Security Statement can be found on the Privacy & Security Statement section of this website. This Privacy and Security statement is subject to change. We will provide an “updated" date on this statement whenever changes are made. Any changes will be effective on the date they are posted to this website. Please review this Privacy and Security Statement periodically.

You may contact us at patientsafetyauthority@pa.gov with any website privacy questions or concerns.

Email

  1. When you email patientsafetyauthority@pa.gov, we won't share your email address with anyone outside of PSA's staff, contractors, or other applicable Pennsylvania agencies, except as may be required by law. We'll only use your email address to respond to your requests for information or services.
  2. If you sign up for one of our email lists, we will only send you the information you've requested. We will not share your email address with anyone outside of PSA's staff or contractors, except as may be required by law.
  3. You may unsubscribe from our email list by either clicking “Unsubscribe" at the bottom of PSA emails or by emailing patientsafetyauthority@pa.gov and requesting to be removed from PSA communications.

Information Collection

We collect certain information when you visit our website that does not identify you personally.

We can tell the type of computer, browser, and web service you are using. We also know the date, time, your source IP, your internet service provider (ISP) location, and pages on our website that you visit. Collecting this information helps us design the site according to your needs.

There are instances when you may need to volunteer information that does identify you personally, including but not limited to when you complete the Anonymous Report Form, when you register for an educational event, or when you RSVP to attend a board meeting.​

PSA's website uses a third-party service to improve performance, track site usage, optimize search engine rankings, and provide data on how users interact with PSA's website, mainly using first-party cookies to report on user interactions. Users may choose to disable cookies; delete any individual cookie; or install an optional browser add-on that, once installed, disables site usage measurement. ​

Information Sharing

PSA may share your personal and nonpersonal information

  • With other Pennsylvania state agencies, as necessary, to better serve you. For example, if you email a complaint to PSA, we will forward that complaint to the appropriate state agency. PSA does not have the authority to investigate consumer complaints.
  • With PSA contractors and vendors we retain for services such as email delivery and other information technology.
  • When permitted and/or required by law. This includes Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law, which gives the public the right to obtain certain records that PSA possesses. The information you send to us may be subject to public disclosure if not otherwise protected by state or federal law. By providing personal information, you consent to disclosure of such public record information as may be required, in our sole direction, to comply with the Right-to-Know Law or other applicable laws.

PSA does not collect, use, or sell your personal information for commercial purposes.

Site Security

  1. We monitor visits to PSA's website to identify attempted cybersecurity threats.
  2. We have systems to safeguard your privacy from third parties when you submit your personal information using our website.
  3. If information is required for a law enforcement investigation, any information we collect for those investigations is destroyed according to state and federal guidelines. 
  4. Tampering with PSA's website is against the law. Violators may and will be punished under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986 and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act of 1996.

Disclaimer

PSA's official website is “patientsafety.pa.gov." This site is provided as a public service for informational purposes only.  While PSA takes comprehensive measures to ensure the information on this site is accurate,  it is presented without any representation, guarantee, or warranty whatsoever regarding the accuracy, relevance, or completeness of the information, except where explicitly stated. The information contained in this website is provided only as general information, which may be incomplete or outdated. Please note that users of this website are responsible for independently verifying any and all information. Please contact a PSA representative to ensure the most current information.

Links to Other Sites

  1. Our website has links to many other websites. When you go to another site, you are subject to the privacy and security policies of that site. PSA cannot attest to the accuracy of information provided there.
  2. Linking to a website does not constitute an endorsement by PSA or any of its employees, of the sponsors of the site, or the products presented on the site.

Pop-Up Blocker

PSA occasionally uses pop-up windows to display information. These windows may be blocked from view by pop-up blockers.

There are many third-party applications that block pop-up ads. While these applications are useful for general web browsing, they may interfere with PSA's website by preventing information from being displayed. Turn these applications off when viewing the PSA website.

Internet browsers that we support have built-in pop-up blocking abilities. If this function is turned on while navigating patientsafety.pa.gov, then some information may be blocked. Please turn these functions off while viewing patientsafety.pa.gov.

PSA ensures that while visitors are within patientsafety.pa.gov, our website will not generate any pop-up ads from third parties. Clicking on an external link will take you outside of the patientsafety.pa.gov domain and, therefore, pop–up ads are possible and not the responsibility of PSA.

Software

Software available on this website for download is provided “as is," “with all faults," without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability and of fitness for a particular purpose. The user assumes the entire risk as to the results and performance of the software, and in no event shall PSA be liable for any incidental, consequential, or direct damages suffered in the course of using the software. Use of the available software programs is governed by their respective license agreements, which may contain restrictions on use, including but not limited to a requirement to pay the software owner a specified amount after a trial period has elapsed.​​

Privacy and Security Statement updated January 2025