Senate Bill No. 494 - Medical Harm Disclosure Act

• Requires hospitals and long-term care facilities to report medical harm events to the Department of Health and Senior Services within 5 days of detection, or 24 hours if an ongoing urgent threat exists.

• Establishes a Medical Harm Reporting Advisory Committee with majority non-facility representation to oversee data collection, analysis, and public disclosure methodology using standardized formats.

• Mandates health care facilities create patient safety programs to review records, analyze preventable events, and implement corrective changes, with annual summaries submitted to the department.

• Imposes civil penalties up to $100 per day for failure to report medical harm events; creates a Patient Safety Trust Fund supported by annual surcharges on facility licensing fees to fund regulatory oversight and audits.

• Requires the department to conduct quarterly accuracy checks of reported data, perform independent audits every three years, and publish annual public reports on medical harm events by facility effective December 31, 2013.