January 6, 2010
- Infection Rate Reporting Open to the Public Today
- MRSA Legislation
Infection Rate Reporting Open to the Public Today
The new year brings important changes for infection prevention and reporting in Washington! Below are a two items you should be aware of.
Infection Rate Reporting Open to the Public Today:
The Department of Health’s infection rate reporting web site is now open to the public. Using this new tool, people can research and compare infection rates for hospitals. The infection rates displayed are central line bloodstream infections and ventilator associated pneumonia.
The Washington State Hospital Association supports this transparency and public reporting of infection rates. It offers an opportunity to demonstrate the excellent care that we provide. The information also helps hospitals improve, assists consumers in making good decisions about hospital care, and creates the opportunity for collaboration between hospitals and quality experts.
For your information, a copy of the Department of Health news release and Washington State Hospital Association news release are available to you. We anticipate significant media interest.
If you have questions or need assistance with media questions contact Cassie Sauer at (206) 216-2538 or cassies@wsha.org, or Beth Zborowski at (206) 577-1807 or bethz@wsha.org. If you would like help with your strategies to reduce infections, contact Carol Wagner at (206) 577-1831 or carolw@wsha.org. We are also interested in any comments you get from the media or issues you encounter with the site.
MRSA Legislation:
Effective January 1, 2010, hospitals have new responsibilities around MRSA. An overview of what is required in the new legislation is provided in this WSHA Bulletin. As part of this legislation, hospitals are required to:
- Complete risk assessment and test for MRSA if deemed appropriate
- Test all ICU patients for MRSA within 24 hours of admission unless a patient has a known history of MRSA
- Prevent MRSA transmission through appropriate precautions
- Notify and educate patients if they test positive
- Let patients know if they are being roomed with another patient that has or might have MRSA
To assist hospitals with notifying patients that they may come in contact or share a room with a patient with MRSA, WSHA has created language that can be included in consent forms. The language is available in English, Spanish, and Russian. Let us know if you provide consents in additional languages and need translation.
In addition, brochures have been created to help educate patients. These brochures give patients information on how they can help prevent infections and also include the language required by the new legislation explaining that they may be roomed with another patient with MRSA. A copy of the brochure is located on the WSHA website. Orders can be placed through WSHA’s online bookstore.
There is a lot going on with regard to infections and new legislation. If you have any questions, contact Carol Wagner at carolw@wsha.org or (206) 577-1831 or Taya Briley at tayab@wsha.org or (206) 216-2554.