Best Practices in Maximizing Patient Safety Privilege Protections Through Policy Development

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (PSQIA) provides broad federal privilege and confidentiality protections for healthcare organizations and practitioners that participate in a federally certified Patient Safety Organization (PSO). These protections extend to a wide range of patient safety activities, analyses, and communications—collectively referred to as Patient Safety Work Product (PSWP)—as defined within an organization’s Patient Safety Evaluation System (PSES) policies. Despite nearly two decades of implementation, many organizations continue to misunderstand or underutilize the full scope of these protections. As a result, hospitals and health systems often limit the reach of PSQIA privilege, inadvertently exposing valuable patient safety and peer review efforts to discoverability. This webinar, presented by Michael R. Callahan, JD, and Ellen Flynn, RN, MBA, JD, demystifies PSQIA by clarifying key terms, exploring real-world applications, and outlining best practices for strengthening PSES policies to maximize privilege protections. Presented live on December 10, 2025 Please note, NAMSS-approved CE credit is only available for those who attended the webinar live.