Patient Safety Act of 1994

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Title I: General Provisions

Title II: Creation of Independent and Effective State

Medical Boards

Title III: Requirements for Health Care Professionals and

Providers

Title IV: Public Access to Practitioner Data Bank

Patient Safety Act of 1994 - Title I: General Provisions - Declares that the purpose of this Act is to create a national program of medical malpractice prevention.

Title II: Creation of Independent and Effective State Medical Boards - Requires each State medical board to create a consumer assistance unit to deal directly with complainants. Requires the board to disclose information received from complaints to the national practitioner data bank.

Establishes guidelines for investigations, disciplinary hearings, and disciplinary actions.

Provides for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to assume responsibilities of this Act in cases where a State medical board does not meet requirements.

Title III: Requirements for Health Care Professionals and Providers - Requires health care professionals and health care providers to renew their medical licenses every two years.

Sets forth reporting requirements for health care professionals and providers and medical examiners.

Requires licensed health care professionals to be reexamined every six years as a condition of licensure.

Requires State medical boards to perform audits of the office-based practices of licensees to assess performance and to improve practices. Requires an audit of pharmacies to detect illegal drug diversion and other misuse of controlled substances.

Requires health care professionals and providers to maintain malpractice insurance.

Directs the Secretary to conduct a national interdisciplinary study of medical negligence.

Title IV: Public Access to Practitioner Data Bank - Amends the Health Care Quality Improvement Act of 1986 to require the Secretary to make specified information on health practitioners available to the public.