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Akerman Senterfitt Hosts National Panel Discussion on Patient Safety Organizations

TALLAHASSEE, Fla., Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Akerman Senterfitt, one of the largest law firms inFlorida and one of the top 100 firms in the U.S., today announced that it will host and lead a national audiocast under the auspices of the American Health Lawyers Association (AHLA) about working with federally certified Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) and issues concerning privilege and confidentiality. The live audiocast will take place at several of Akerman'sFlorida offices on January 29.

The panel discussion is sponsored by the AHLA Risk Management affinity group and will be led by Akerman Attorneys James M. "Chet" Barclay and Lisa Barclay, both of whom serve as counsel to the Florida Patient Safety Corporation, the first PSO to become federally certified inthe United States.

"It is always important to prepare for changes such as the PSO final rules that will take effect after January 19, and we are pleased to lead this statewide discussion in association with AHLA," said James Barclay. "Given Amendment 7, providers throughoutFlorida may have a particular interest in understanding the federal protections given to data reported to PSOs."

Other featured speakers include Dr. William B. Munier, MD, Director of the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety (the Center) at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within the Department of Health and Human Services, and Dr. Amy Helwig, MD, a Medical Officer in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Service - Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.

The panel will address a range of topics related to PSOs, including:

    --  What are PSOs, who certifies them, what are the certification criteria
        and where is more information available?
    --  What is a Patient Safety Evaluation System and what is (and isn't)
        Patient Safety Work Product?
    --  What are PSO Patient Safety Activities, what do PSOs report and to whom?
    --  What privilege and confidentiality provisions protect a PSOs
        information?

The event will take place at the Akerman offices inTallahassee, FL from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 29. The audiocast will also be presented at several other Akerman offices acrossFlorida, includingMiami,Tampa,Orlando andJacksonville. Lunch receptions will be held at all participating offices prior to the audiocast. After the audiocast, attendees in local Akerman offices will be able to take part in a private Q&A session with the Akerman presenters.

All in-person and audiocast attendees must register in advance. Please contact Anna Salgado at 305-679-5403 or e-mail anna.salgado@akerman.com for the dial-in information or to RSVP for a reception at one of the participating Akerman offices listed above.

About Akerman Senterfitt

Akerman is ranked among the top 100 law firms inthe United States by The National Law Journal NLJ 250 (2008) in number of lawyers and is one of the largest firms inFlorida. With more than 500 lawyers and governmental affairs professionals, the firm serves clients in major business centers throughoutthe United States, includingMiami,New York,Washington D.C. andLos Angeles. For additional information, please visit the firm's Web site at www.akerman.com.


    Contact:
    Pat Tucker
    RF|Binder Partners, Inc.
    (212) 994-7561
    patrick.tucker@rfbinder.com

    Walter Fowler
    RF|Binder Partners, Inc.
    (212) 994-7512
    walter.fowler@rfbinder.com

SOURCE Akerman Senterfitt

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Akerman Senterfitt Hosts National Panel Discussion on Patient Safety Organizations