Safety Net

View Safety Net

The Safety Net incident reporting tool is for any UW Medicine staff, faculty, or trainee to report any patient, staff, visitor, or facility safety concern. Files reported in Safety Net now include a way to identify if bias contributed to the event. Safety Net

Types of Complaints / Topics Addressed

Safety Net is used for reporting concerns related to the treatment or care of an individual patient. 

Disclaimers

Retaliation protection:
University of Washington policy prohibits retaliation against people who bring a complaint or participate in the complaint process. An employee who engages in retaliatory conduct is subject to appropriate corrective action, including dismissal. 

Exception to confidentiality:
Any information shared in emails, tools, or reports may be subject to public records requests or released under federal and state law. 

Process

What information you need to submit, what happens after

Reporters submit information about an event in a Safety Net File. Files have an optional question “Do you feel that bias (implicit or explicit) contributed to this adverse event or safety concern?” If “yes” is selected, files will be routed to Health Equity subject matter experts for review. Once submitted, Reporters receive a confirmation email that explains how to track the progress of the event. File Reviewers are then notified via email notifications which are routed depending on the Severity Level of the event (default frequency is every 4 hours). Reviewers are responsible for assessing the event, and if necessary, taking follow-up actions to prevent recurrence.  

When does reporter hear back?

1-3 Business days

Point of Contact Info

If you need further assistance with completing a form, or if you need information on how to report an incident anonymously, please contact your on-site representative: 

UWMC (ML, NW, Roosevelt) – uwmcsafetynet@uw.edu
Harborview Medical Center – hmcsafetynet@uw.edu
Airlift Northwest – alnwsafetynet@uw.edu
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center – ptsafety@fredhutch.org
UW Medicine Primary Care Clinics – uwpc-cares4u@uw.edu
All Other Organizations – safenet@uw.edu 

For more information, please visit one.uwmedicine.org/ehrhub/SafetyNetResources. 

Other Considerations

By default, your name will be included in the reports you submit. This allows for contact in case of questions or if more information is needed. We encourage open reporting, but if anonymity is preferred, you can choose “anonymous mode.”  

Note: other bias reporting tools cannot contain protected health information (PHI).