Patient Safety and Whistleblower Protections Act

The Patient Safety and Whistleblower Protections Act aims to protect healthcare practitioners from retaliation by healthcare facilities when they report patient safety concerns. The bill prohibits facilities from taking adverse employment actions against practitioners who communicate issues such as quality of care, staffing, or equipment sufficiency to supervisors, state authorities, government officials, or, after 90 days, the news media. It allows practitioners to file individual or class action lawsuits for retaliation, seeking actual damages, attorney's fees, and punitive damages. Additionally, the bill voids contractual provisions that restrict reporting patient safety concerns and requires Medicare-participating facilities to establish anonymous reporting mechanisms and investigation processes.