To err is human: supporting the patient care provider in the aftermath of an unanticipated adverse clinical outcome.

This article will detail how the Kaiser Permanente Healthcare Organization responded to the 2000 Institute of Medicine's report which cited statistics regarding patient safety and the cost and consequences of medical errors. It will then reveal the important role Kaiser Permanente's Employee and Physician Assistance Program serves in support of Kaiser's patient care providers who are working to reduce the medical errors that lead to adverse outcomes. While striving to increase patient safety, Kaiser Permanente's Responsible Reporting and Accountability Policy will be reviewed, with a primary focus on the components of the policy which describes how the Employee and Physician Assistance Program utilizes a model of support intended to maintain and restore the functioning and well-being of Kaiser Permanente's patient care providers.