Editor's Note All eligible Medicare-certified ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) that want to avoid future penalties must complete a new electronic form by April 14 via the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network website in order to report on ASC-8: Influenza Vaccination Coverage among Healthcare Personnel, the Ambulatory…

Read More

Editor's Note Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) found that emergency department (ED) visits for opioid overdoses increased 29.7% from July 2016 to September 2017, according to the March 9 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Every demographic group and all US regions saw increases, but the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Food & Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), American Society for Microbiology, along with other experts on February 26 released voluntary standardized protocols for duodenoscope surveillance sampling and culturing, which update a 2015 CDC interim protocol. For facilities that choose to implement duodenoscope surveillance…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission on January 31 announced that a new brochure is available to help healthcare organizations inform patients about healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and prevention. The brochure, titled, “For Our Patients and Their Visitors: Help Prevent Infections,” is derived from the resource, “Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on January 5 updated its data on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) have dropped 50% since 2008. Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) have had consistent year-to-year decreases, especially since those caused by yeast were deleted from the…

Read More

Editor's Note The Joint Commission and Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have been collaborating since late 2015 on a 3-year project titled, “Adaptation & Dissemination of Outpatient Infection Prevention (ADOPT).” The goal of the project is to adapt, enhance, and disseminated current CDC guidance on infection prevention and…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on July 26 issued a new report titled “Antibiotic Use in the United States, 2017: Progress and Opportunities.” The report includes information on the current status of antibiotic use in healthcare settings, highlighting programs and resources to support antibiotic stewardship (ie,…

Read More

Editor's Note Despite widespread adoption of contact precautions for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), there is no strong clinical trial evidence to support the mandated use of these precautions, three noted infection prevention researchers say. Without the support of evidence, policy makers from 2000 to 2010 passed…

Read More

Editor's Note The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on May 3 published an update to its 1999 guideline for the prevention of surgical site infections. Among the recommendations: Patients should shower or bathe with soap or an antiseptic agent on at least the night before a surgical procedure. Antimicrobial…

Read More

Editor's Note More adults are getting screening tests for colorectal cancer but not for breast or cervical cancers, according to new data from the Centers Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2000 to 2015, the rate of colorectal cancer screening increased from 33% to 62% in men and from 35%…

Read More