On March 15, 2001, the Oklahoma State Board of Health approved United States Pharmacopeia (USP) as a national organization to which reports or other data may be submitted by authorized persons, hospitals, nursing homes, and other organizations for the purpose of reducing morbidity or mortality under Oklahoma's Public Health and Safety statute (63 O.S. § 1-1709). Reports or other data submitted as defined in the statute are declared to be privileged communications and therefore may not be introduced as evidence in any legal proceeding. Oklahoma is the first state to provide legal protection (privilege) to USP's medication error reporting programs.

Jay A. Gregory, M.D., President of the Oklahoma Board of Health said in a letter to USP, "It is our hope that this recognition will encourage Oklahoma health care facilities and practitioners to report medication errors in a consistent and non-punitive manner, and therefore increase the chances of identifying trends and implementing system-wide improvements and safety measures to help prevent medication errors."

Oklahoma health care facilities have been active participants on issues concerning the reduction of medication errors. USP has worked closely with a number of Oklahoma facilities to implement USP's medication error reporting programs. Through this work, USP recognized the need to provide greater legal protection for facilities reporting to MedMARxSM, an Internet-accessible reporting program for hospitals, and USP's Medication Errors Reporting Program*. In early February, USP requested the Board of Health to approve USP as a national organization in its statute.

"We are pleased to achieve this recognition in state law," said Roger L. Williams, M.D., USP Executive Vice President and CEO. "This protection will encourage health care professionals to report medication errors."

USP has been a leader in medication error reporting since 1991, when it began operating the Medication Errors Reporting Program with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (USP purchased the program in 1994). In 1995 USP led an effort that resulted in the formation of the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (see www.nccmerp.org), and the Advisory Panel on Medication Errors in 1996. In 1998, USP launched MedMARx, an Internet-accessible database for hospitals to report and track medication errors anonymously. USP established the Safe Medication Use Expert Committee in 2000, which is part of USP's Council of Experts. USP's medication error activities contribute to USP's mission of assuring the highest quality and safest medications through its drug standards-setting program.