PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Tuesday, December 11, 2001

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Citizens' Council on Health Care
1954 University Ave. W., Suite 8
St. Paul, MN 55104
http://www.cchconline.org
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CONTACT:Twila Brase, R.N., President
PHONE: 651-646-8935
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CCHC President is Board Member of the
New Patient Safety Institute

St. Paul, Minnesota - A new patient-centered initiative to improve patient safety was announced today in Washington D.C. The Patient Safety Institute (PSI) is a non-profit organization that will change the way health care is practiced and patient privacy is protected.

PSI will facilitate the transmission of five critical pieces of patient data at the point of care (medications, lab test results, diagnosis, allergies and immunizations). Before the data can be transferred from disparate locations to the doctor, three encrypted codes are required, one each from the doctor, the patient, and the clinic or health care facility. PSI is completely voluntary. Patient can opt-in or opt-out at any time.

PSI is governed by nine members of the PSI Board of Directors, with equal representation from three groups at the heart of patient care - patients, doctors, and hospitals. No insurers are part of the Board. Patient representatives have control over patient privacy issues. Twila Brase, RN, PHN, president of Citizens' Council on Health Care (CCHC) was asked to join the Board last spring as one of the three patient representatives. Her comments include:

"I am pleased to have been asked to work with this fine group of individuals to help make the PSI vision a reality."

"The Patient Safety Institute offers the first patient-centered, privacy-embedded solution to patient safety concerns. Patient privacy is key to patient safety. Without the assurance of privacy, patients may not disclose information critical to their care."

"PSI is a private sector initiative that improves patient safety and enhances health care quality without reliance on the proposed national medical ID number."

"PSI sets a new standard of respect for patients and the patient's right to privacy and personal autonomy. It is my hope that new consumer expectations will quickly lead to the adoption of PSI standards and privacy principles across the entire health care industry."

Twila Brase is a registered nurse and a certified public health nurse. She has been president of Citizens' Council on Health Care since its inception in 1998. To learn about the Patient Safety Institute, find its web site at: http://www.ptsafety.org

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CCHC is an independent non-profit health care policy organization located in St. Paul, Minnesota.



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Citizens' Council on Health Care
1954 University Ave.W., Suite 8
St. Paul, MN 55104
651-646-8935 phone
651-646-0100 fax
http://www.cchconline.org
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