HCPro.com: Briefings on Infection Control

From the AIA's new Infection Control Risk Assessment to the JCAHO's emphasis on infection control, your facility's infection control initiatives have never been under more scrutiny. Briefings on Infection Control is a 12-page monthly resource that was created specifically to help you save time complying with the new infection control regulations and combating the spread of infectious diseases in your hospital. Not only will you know about the latest changes and updates, but you'll also receive the step-by-step strategies and tools to comply!

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July 2008 (Volume 6, Issue 7)	view entire issue

CMS proposes nine more IC conditions to reduced payment list
Is it possible to prevent all C. diff infections? How about all cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)? Experts will be weighing in on these questions in the next few months as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) determines whether to add these and seven other conditions to its existing list of preventable conditions. CMS won't reimburse hospitals at a higher rate for costs related to those hospital-acquired conditions under changes to its inpatient prospective payment system for 2009.

Universal MRSA screening: One approach does not fit all
The first study, "Universal Screening for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus at Hospital Admission and Nosocomial Infection in Surgical Patients," published in the March 12 Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), found that screening all patients when they were admitted to 12 surgical wards did not reduce MRSA infections.

Don't wait for large-scale disasters to put your emergency systems to the test
Imagine this scenario: a norovirus outbreak hits your hospital's psychiatric unit, prompting an emergency evacuation of multiple units and taking weeks to clear the infection out of the facility. Although you might not consider an event such as this an emergency situation on par with a pandemic flu outbreak or a flood, it certainly feels like a crisis for the facility involved, says Peggy Luebbert, MS, MT (ASCP), CIC, CHSP, owner of Healthcare Interventions, Inc., in Omaha, NE.

Consider using technology to help reduce infections
Beginning October 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will reduce payment for several preventable events, including catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CA-UTI), and facilities looking for ways to reduce the number of UTIs should consider using an age-old metal to assist them in their efforts. A new study shows that silver-coated catheters have the potential to reduce the number of CA-UTIs. In fact, St. Vincent's Rehabilitation Hospital in Sherwood, AR, where the study was conducted, completely eliminated UTIs in the six months following the switch to silver-coated catheters. In the four months before silver-coated catheters were added, study authors Jackie Kassler, RN, and Josh Barnett, RN, CRRN, had detected 10 CA-UTIs.

Prevent unsafe injection practices at your facility
When outbreaks associated with unsafe injection practices occur, they hit the headlines with a bang. This was the case in February when a Nevada endoscopy clinic reported that as many as 40,000 patients might have been exposed to hepatitis C and other bloodborne pathogens from inappropriate reuse of single use vials of anesthesia at the facility. And that was not an isolated case. In recent years, several clusters of healthcare-associated hepatitis C and HIV have been attributed to unsafe injection practices.

Other recently-published articles from Briefings on Infection Control:

The new CMS payment policy might be more bark than bite with regard to SSIs

Contending with floods, hurricanes, and water damage

Joint Commission wants the right person in charge

New regulations affect dialysis facilities

Seven tips to fight the flu with vaccinations

Document, monitor, and limit flash sterilization to stay out of hot water with The Joint Commission

Audits and training critical to food safety

Stay vigilant: Pandemic influenza is more likely than ever

Can training IC liaisons really save your sanity?

Taking on UTIs: A bundled approach

Crisis management starts at home but doesn’t end there

Intensive, expensive, and, in some cases, controversial

Focus is on IC in 2009 National Patient Safety Goals

Train your staff on respiratory hygiene, cough etiquette in time for upcoming respiratory infection season

Interpersonal relationships are crucial to successful construction projects

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