Reducing hospital infection rates

Hospitals that instituted strict infection prevention practices saw some infection rates drop by two-thirds in only 18 months, according to a recent Johns Hopkins study. Researchers reported that simple, inexpensive procedures such as more frequent hand washing could reduce infection rates. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

There’s a published report that officials in Massachusetts are looking toward public reporting to reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections. Public health authorities hope to have all hospitals reporting their rates by next year, according to The Boston Globe. They are also drafting infection prevention measures and creating educational materials that would be mandatory for health care workers.Click here to learn more.

HCAHPS Requirement for FY 2008 APU

Hospitals that are subject to IPPS payment provisions (RHQDAPU-eligible “subsection (d) hospitals”) must meet the new reporting requirements in order to receive their full IPPS annual payment update (APU) for FY 2008. IPPS hospitals failing to report the required quality measures (including the HCAHPS patient perspective survey) in the proper form and time specified could receive an APU that is reduced by 2.0 percentage points for FY 2008.

Hospitals that did not participate in the Oct. 2006 HCAHPS “dry run” must now join HCAHPS and participate in the next “dry run” in March 2007. They must begin to submit data in order to qualify for the full APU for FY 2008.

Get details and view steps for enrollment.

Success story: Putnam General

Putnam General Hospital in Eatonton has been placed in the top 1 percent of hospitals in quality of care, according to CareScience. Putnam was named as a 2006 CareScience Select Practice National Quality Leader in the category of pneumonia, for achieving “superior performance” in care of pneumonia patients.

CareScience examined 16 different clinical indicators – more than any other national quality award or designation. All U.S. acute care inpatient facilities are eligible to compete for the award.