By Healthcare Facilities Today

The National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) announced recently that it is joining forces with the New Jersey Hospital Association (NJHA) to form the National Patient Safety Organization (PSO) for Assisted Living. 

The PSO will electronically collect data from NCAL's participating assisted living members on a range of clinical performance outcomes and processes. The effort is the first of the profession's kind to be carried out at a national level and will develop reports highlighting the causes of patient safety events in assisted living settings.

"Assisted living communities have always been committed to high quality care, but this PSO changes the ballgame. Having the data that demonstrates this commitment is paramount in today's health care world," "NCAL members will be able to identify where they can improve, partner with other area providers and demonstrate their dedication to their residents," said Dave Kyllo, executive director of NCAL, in a news release on the PR Newswire website.

PSOs were created under federal law and serve as a group of independent external experts who can collect, analyze and aggregate Patient Safety Work Product locally, regionally and nationally to develop insights into the underlying causes of patient safety events. Communications with PSOs also are designed to protect participants from increased liability regarding the data they submit.

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