WAC 246-50-020. Coordinated quality improvement program—Components

A program under the provisions of RCW 43.70.510 shall include, at a minimum: (1) The following components, as modified and approved by the department to reflect the structural organization of the health care entity: (a) A governing body; (b) A committee, appointed by the governing body, with a broad representation of the services offered, responsible for: (i) Reviewing services rendered, both retrospectively and prospectively, to improve the quality of health care by measuring key characteristics such as effectiveness, accuracy, timeliness, and cost; (ii) Reviewing categories and methodologies of services rendered and to be rendered with the goal of improving health care outcomes; (iii) Overseeing and coordinating the program; (iv) Ensuring information gathered for the program is reviewed and used to revise health care policies and procedures; and (v) Reporting to the governing body, at least semiannually, on program activities and actions taken as a result of those activities; (c) Periodic evaluation of each provider under the purview of the program, including mental and physical capacity, competence in delivering health care, and verification of current credentials; (d) A procedure for promptly resolving all complaints pertaining to accidents, injuries, treatment and other events that may result in claims of health care malpractice; (e) A method for continually collecting and maintaining information concerning: (i) Experience with negative health care outcomes and injurious incidents; and (ii) Professional liability premiums, settlements, awards, costs for injury prevention and safety improvement activities; (f) A method for maintaining information gathered under the purview of the program concerning a provider in that provider's personnel or credential file, assuring patient confidentiality; (g) A process for reporting accidents, injuries, negative health outcomes, and other pertinent information to the quality improvement committee; (h) A process assuring compliance with reporting requirements to appropriate local, state, and federal authorities; (i) A method for identifying documents and records created specifically for and collected and maintained by the quality improvement committee; (j) Educational activities for personnel engaged in health care activities including, but not limited to: (i) Quality improvement; (ii) Safety and injury prevention; (iii) Responsibilities for reporting professional misconduct; (iv) Legal aspects of providing health care; (v) Improving communication with health care recipients; and (vi) Causes of malpractice claims; or (2) Components determined by the department to be substantially equivalent to those listed in subsection (1) of this section.