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events; however, the situation is extremely complex and the issues and laws vary depending on who is requesting what information and for what reasons. The Florida General Counsel’s Office, on July 1, 2008, provided notice to risk managers throughout the state that information reported to the AHCA under state law was exempt from the mandates of Amendment 7; for PSOs, such as the Patient Safety Organization of Florida, Inc., formed in 2009, federal law supersedes state law in providing confidentiality for records (CBS, 2011; Florida General Counsel, 2008; PSOFlorida, 2009; Rosenfeld, 2008). What information is currently publicly available (January 2014) adds little new to this situation. Healthcare workers would be well advised to keep abreast of the news, as it may apply to them, and to be knowledgeable of their facility’s policies and procedures concerning medical errors prevention and reporting. In 2008 the Florida Patient Safety Corporation officially endorsed a private program called “SorryWorks!” as an effective method for addressing medical errors. The goal of the program, which is still in operation, is to establish a process that involves an initial disclosure, close contact with the patient and family, and a resolution that includes open communication. The main points are to disclose and compensate quickly when an error has occurred, vigorously defend medically appropriate care, and learn from mistakes (PSQH, 2008). According to the Sorry Works! website, Florida is one of 36 states with an “apology law” on the books, but these vary widely from state to state. For more information visit: www.sorryworks.net (SorryWorks!, 2014). Florida Reporting Requirements Florida requires that all licensed healthcare facilities establish an internal risk management program that includes: The investigation and analysis of the frequency and causes of general categories and specific types of adverse incidents to patients: The development of appropriate measures to minimize the risk of adverse incidents to patients. The analysis of patient grievances that relate to patient care and the quality of medical services. A system for informing a patient or an individual identified pursuant to state law that the patient was the subject of an adverse incident. The development and implementation of an incident reporting system. . . [that requires all agents and employees to report]. . . adverse incidents to the risk manager. . . within 3 business days after their occurrence (Florida Statutes, 2014) Details of these sections contain requirements for licensing and training; any specific limitations, definitions of reportable events; and the encouragement of innovative solutions to the problem of medical errors. Additional sections of state law stipulate facility reporting requirements, and requirements that the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) post summary reports a minimum of quarterly on its website. Facility reports are of two types: (1) Code 15 reports, which cover occurrences of eight of the most serious types of adverse events and must be reported to the AHCA within 15 days of occurrence; and (2) annual summary reports of all incidents (Florida Statutes, 2014). In addition, a separate section of state law requires the AHCA to collect data on hospital-acquired infections (Florida Legislature, 2010). While Florida was the first state to publish a hospital-specific report on hospital-acquired infections in 2005, a March 2010 review of state-by-state activities from the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths (RID) notes that the Florida reports are disappointing due to weaknesses in data collection, detail, and methodology (RID, 2011). In 2011 the Florida Department of Health announced it had received funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) for a Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Program intended to help both monitor and prevent HAIs. While current information (2014) on the program’s status is not available on the department’s website, detailed information on Florida’s various programs is available from the CDC (CDC, 2013). In the past decade, the cost of medical malpractice insurance has skyrocketed in Pennsylvania. Physicians in high-risk specialties are reported to have moved out of the state, closed their practices, or retired,