Eligibility

Is Early Discussion and Resolution (EDR) right for you? Learn more about eligibility requirements.

two women sit and discuss at a table

For Patients

You can request an EDR conversation with your healthcare facility and/or provider if all of the following statements are true:

  • I want to talk with my healthcare facility or provider about what happened. EDR helps connect you with your healthcare facility and/or provider for an open conversation about what happened. If you do not want to talk with your healthcare facility and/or provider, this process may not be right for you.

  • I am the patient or the patient's representative.

  • The event happened in Oregon. EDR was created in Oregon law and only covers incidents that occurred in the state of Oregon.

  • The event happened after July 1, 2014. Incidents that occurred before that date are not eligible.

For Healthcare Providers and Facilities

Providers

A wide-range of healthcare providers are eligible to participate in EDR.

EDR is appropriate for most adverse events that occurred in Oregon after July 1, 2014 and resulted in serious physical injury or death, even if an event was not preventable. The EDR process is slightly different depending on where the event occurred.

  • If the event occurred at a healthcare facility you may be asked to participate in an EDR conversation, but you cannot initiate one. You can, however, ask the facility to initiate an EDR conversation on your behalf.

  • If the event occurred in any other healthcare setting, you can initiate the EDR process or your employer may initiate the process on your behalf.

Regardless of where the event occurred, if a patient requests an EDR conversation with you, OPSC will notify you and you can decide whether to participate.

A healthcare provider can designate someone else in their practice to act on their behalf with respect to an EDR Request for Conversation submitted by a patient. For example, a provider can designate their risk manager or practice manager.

An adult hand holds a tiny baby hand

Facilities

You can use EDR for events if all of the following statements are true:

  • The event happened at your healthcare facility.

  • The event happened in Oregon. EDR was created in Oregon law and only covers incidents that occurred in the state of Oregon.

  • The event happened after July 1, 2014. Incidents that occurred before that date are not eligible.

  • The event resulted in serious physical injury or death to a patient, even if the event was not preventable.

You may choose to initiate EDR, or engage in EDR at the request of a patient or their representative.

Eligibility Definitions

Most licensed providers in Oregon are eligible to participate in the Early Discussion and Resolution (EDR) program. If you are unsure if your provider or facility is one of them, please see the list below – or ask our team. We'd be happy to assist.

Healthcare Facility

For the purposes of EDR, a healthcare facility is a:

  • Hospital

  • Skilled nursing facility

  • Ambulatory surgery center

  • Free-standing birthing center

  • Dialysis facility

  • Hospital satellite facility

Healthcare Provider

For the purposes of EDR, a healthcare provider is a/an:

  • Audiologist

  • Chiropractor

  • Dental hygienist

  • Dentist

  • Denturist

  • Direct entry midwife

  • Emergency medical service provider

  • Marriage and family therapist

  • Massage therapist

  • Medical imaging licensee

  • Naturopathic physician

  • Nurse practitioner

  • Occupational therapist

  • Optometrist

  • Pharmacist

  • Physical therapist

  • Physician

  • Physician assistant

  • Podiatric physician

  • Podiatric surgeon

  • Professional counselor

  • Psychologist

  • Registered nurse

  • Speech-language pathologist

a nurse folds her stethoscope into a heart shape

Patient Representative

A patient representative can file a notice on behalf of a patient only if the patient is under the age of 18, has died, or the patient’s doctor determined that the patient is incapable of making decisions. The only person who can represent the patient and file a notice is the first person on this list who is both willing and able.

  • I am the guardian authorized for healthcare decisions

  • I am the spouse

  • I am the parent

  • I am an adult child (who represents a majority of the patient’s adult children who can be located)

  • I am an adult sibling (who represents a majority of the patient’s adult siblings who can be located)

  • I am an adult friend

  • I am a person appointed by a hospital

Serious Physical Injury

A serious physical injury is an injury that:

  • Is life threatening

  • Results in significant damage to the body, or

  • Requires medical care to prevent or correct significant damage to the body