How MEPARS works

New Confidential Patient Safety Reporting System MEPARS, LLC

Purpose and Philosophy
MEPARS is a system designed to improve EMS patient safety. The fundamental principle is to learn from adverse events and near misses that occur by allowing their report and discussion in an environment safe from disciplinary action or fear of malpractice litigation. The key to this is the relationship that MEPARS creates between the EMS agency or system and the EMS provider or employee. In this relationship the EMS system agrees to take no disciplinary action in regards to any event reported to MEPARS within five days of its occurrence. This immunity is offered based on the employee?s constructive attitude towards correction of the problem as evidenced by their bringing the error to MEPARS. This does not apply to incidents of criminal activity or substance abuse, and immunity may only be claimed for one event per 12-month period.

Reporting Process
If an adverse event or near miss occurs for any reason the EMS provider or employee (?reporter?) who was primarily involved completes a reporting form and mails it to the MEPARS office. These forms may be downloaded from the MEPARS website or picked up at participating EMS agency locations. This completed form is then mailed to the MEPARS office and reviewed by MEPARS staff. If they have any need for clarification or further information, they will contact the reporter at this time, but otherwise (or after contact) the reporter?s name and contact information will be removed from the form and mailed back to the reporter to serve as a receipt. The remaining (now anonymous) data will be entered into a database, and the handwritten form will be destroyed. The identity of the reporter, and those involved including agency, hospital, and patient, are never recorded.

Benefit of the System
When trends or dangerous practices are identified, a summary of the reported incidents will be published on the website, www.mepars.com, by the MEPARS editors. The data collected will be used to make recommendations for EMS procedures and published in national journals. This information will make changes in EMS practice! The website also includes a message board to facilitate discussion among providers from multiple agencies about the events and patient safety in EMS. Each agency will also receive a quarterly report of adverse events, near misses, and medical error in EMS (summarized from the entire database) from which they can focus their educational activities.

Be Safe MEPARS

How MEPARS works

New Confidential Patient Safety Reporting System MEPARS, LLC

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