On January 15, 2019, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) published the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) Health Center Site Visit Protocol. You can find the protocol on HRSA’s website here.

This new protocol describes the site visit’s purpose, structure, process and report. It also includes materials that health centers can utilize to prepare for a site visit, including:

• A Document Review Checklist (documents the site visit team will be reviewing before and during the site visit);
• A sample site visit agenda;
• A sample site visit report; and
• Hyperlinks to a roster of related tools and resources available through ECRI Clinical Risk Management.

In the protocol, HRSA states that the FTCA Site Visit process will “enable HRSA to objectively assess and verify the implementation of FTCA deeming requirements and provide technical assistance (TA) to health centers as needed and appropriate” (p. 3).

We highly recommend that health centers scheduled for a FTCA Site Visit thoroughly review and understand the protocol as part of their preparation for the visit. FTLF will watch developments closely and post any major updates to our blog.

Feldesman Tucker Leifer Fidell LLP’s (FTLF) FTCA Team is reviewing the new protocol and will be hosting a webinar to provide an overview of any significant policy or operational changes and emergency risk areas. Contact Us to be notified when registration opens.

If you have any questions about the protocol, the site visit process or other FTCA program issues, please contact our team – Marty Bree (mbree@feldesman.com), Molly Evans (mevans@feldesman.com), and Matthew Freedus (mfreedus@feldesman.com) or call (202) 466-8960.

FTLF’s FTCA team is conducting a day-and-a-half training on everything you need to know about the FTCA program, including the new site visit protocol, in Phoenix, AZ February 20-21, 2019. Additional details and information regarding registration can be found here.