Already finalizing an infection control survey for hospitals, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has expanded the scope of the program to assess compliance with quality improvement and discharge planning during the same visit. The original plan was…
On the heels of a Supreme Court ruling confirming its constitutionality, yesterday’s presidential election results mean that the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act remains upright and intact as the signature piece of legislation of a two-term president. While challenger…
Influenza poses a rare but real risk of fatal infection in otherwise healthy children, a Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention epidemiologist reports. Karen K. Wong, MD, reviewed case reports for the 2004 to 2012 influenza seasons in data…
Two of the nation’s leading infection prevention groups expressed support for the increasing alignment of reimbursement with clinical quality improvement, though warning that the electronic reporting required in this process is going to be something of a work in progress….
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is scaling back its oversight of needle safety issues in ambulatory care and surgical settings (ASCs), though noting that some 3,200 inspections done in fiscal years 2010 and 2011 “have found that…
This influenza immunization season may be one of the most challenging for the nation’s hospitals as they face a new requirement to track every employee, licensed practitioner, student and volunteer. Beginning in January 2013, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid…
Citing the risk of continuing hepatitis outbreaks, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommends that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) resume inspections of injection safety in ambulatory care centers. Formed in the wake of recurrent outbreaks due…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ambitious plan to survey the nation’s hospital infection programs is drawing fire for both going beyond its regulatory authority in some areas and not requiring more infection prevention staff and support employees in others….
Memo to the Centers from Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from a surgeon on the literal cutting edge of infection prevention in the OR: Hospitals and federal regulators should encourage the use of newer and safer types of surgery and…
As the lines blur between patient safety and worker safety, hospital employee health professionals can expect much more scrutiny, even from regulators who are typically centered on patient care. A new, draft survey tool from the Center for Medicare and…