The Vermont Statutes Online

Title 18 : Health

Chapter 043A : Patient Safety Surveillance and Improvement System

• § 1915. Hospital obligations

  The rules adopted pursuant to this chapter shall require hospitals to:

  (1) develop, maintain, and implement internal policies and procedures that meet the standards of the Department to:

  (A) identify, track, and analyze reportable adverse events, adverse events, and near misses;

  (B) determine what type of causal analysis, if any, is appropriate;

  (C) conduct causal analyses and develop corrective action plans; and

  (D) disclose to patients, or, in the case of a patient death, an adult member of the immediate family, at a minimum, adverse events that cause death or serious bodily injury;

  (2) report reportable adverse events to the Department;

  (3) provide the Department with copies of its causal analysis and corrective action plan in connection with each reportable adverse event;

  (4) for reportable adverse events that must also by law be reported to other departments or agencies, notify the Department of Health or provide a copy of any written report and provide any causal analysis information required by the Department; and

  (5) for the purpose of evaluating a hospital’s compliance with the provisions of this chapter, provide the Commissioner and designees reasonable access to:

  (A) information protected by the provisions of the patient’s privilege under 12 V.S.A. § 1612(a) or otherwise required by law to be held confidential; and

  (B) the minutes and records of a peer review committee and any other information subject to peer review protection under 26 V.S.A. § 1443. (Added 2005, No. 215 (Adj. Sess.), § 324; amended 2023, No. 85 (Adj. Sess.), § 46, eff. July 1, 2024.)