Promoting Collaboration and Transparency in Patient Safety

Article-at-a-Glance Background The Minnesota Alliance for Patient Safety (MAPS) collaborative was founded in 2000 by the Minnesota Hospital Association (MHA), the Minnesota Medical Association, and the Minnesota Department of Health. Creating a Culture of Learning, Justice, and Accountability MAPS made it a priority to make the health care workplace one that encourages learning from adverse events. MAPS is pioneering a statewide model of a "just" culture—one that supports learning yet holds individuals accountable for errors. Legislative Changes In 2001, MAPS helped revise the Minnesota peer review law to allow hospitals to share key safety information through electronic databases such as the MHA Patient Safety Registry. The revisions paved the way for the 2003 landmark Minnesota Adverse Health Care Event Reporting Act, which encourages reporting of root cause investigations and steps taken by facilities to prevent recurrence. In 2003 the Patient Safety Registry, an electronic database, was expanded to serve as a confidential clearinghouse for facilities' reporting of adverse events. Patient Safety Topics MAPS serves as catalyst for developing and disseminating best practices on topics such as health literacy, falls prevention, culture of safety, engaging patients, and consumers' medication tracking. Conclusion The six-year collaborative effort by the many organizations comprising MAPS has led to a transformation in Minnesota's health care safety culture.