HFMA NEWS

In an effort to help prevent the six most important healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), five healthcare organizations have published A Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals. The compendium was announced Oct. 8.

Six of the most important preventable HAIs with the greatest impact on morbidity and mortality were identified: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, Clostridium difficile infection, central line-associated bloodstream infection, ventilator-associated pneumonia, catheter-associated urinary tract infection, and surgical site infection. Recommendations are prioritized into two categories--minimum basic practices that should be adopted by all acute care hospitals, and special approaches for use in locations and/or populations within hospitals when infections are not controlled using basic practices.

The compendium was produced by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, in partnership with the American Hospital Association; the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc.; and The Joint Commission. Access the compendium.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Oct. 8 issued new interim guidance that outlines how to become a patient safety organization (PSO).

The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act authorized the creation of PSOs to improve safety through the collection and analysis of data on patient safety events. By providing both privilege and confidentiality, PSOs are intended to create a secure environment where clinicians and healthcare organizations can voluntarily collect, aggregate, and analyze data that help identify and reduce the risks and hazards associated with patient care. “Patient safety work product”--the data submitted by healthcare providers to a listed PSO and the data developed by the listed PSO during the interim guidance period--will remain privileged and confidential under the Patient Safety Act during and after the interim period.

The interim guidance allows HHS’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to begin receiving applications from qualified entities that wish to become PSOs. This guidance will remain effective until HHS issues a final rule for PSOs, expected to be released by the end of 2008. Read the interim guidance.