On Wednesday, a nonpartisan congressional report was released that discusses additional steps the U.S. Government should take to address Hospital Acquired Infections (HAI). The report detailed changes to alleviate the number of cases, such as handwashing and other measures that previously existed in the 1,200 practices listed in 13 guidelines for addressing HAI.  This new report stressed that leadership i9 needed from Health and Human Services (HHS) to prioritize practices for HAI relief.

A Reuters article highlighted statements officials made that outline the important components of the report:

"HHS is not exploiting its leverage to reduce or eliminate hospital acquired infections," Cynthia Bascetta, director for health issues at the Government Accountability Office told a U.S. House of Representative committee hearing on Wednesday. "We concluded that leadership from the secretary is required."

Experts said that while mandating proven practices would be relatively inexpensive, health care practitioners would need payment incentives and guidance on the best proven methods from regulators and accrediting agencies. Medicare, the state-federal health insurance plan that spends nearly $400 billion on care for about 44 million elderly and disabled people, last week expanded a list of hospital-acquired conditions for which it would cut funding.

House.gov has a page for the hearing with the opening statement, congressional testimony and video of the proceedings.  To read the full report by the Government Accountability Office, click here to get the pdf at the GAO site.



Source: Reuters, Government Accountability Office, House of Representatives.

(Additionally, attendees of Avatar's Annual Client Symposium can sign up to see a pre-conference presentation on Monday, May 19 that details innovative approaches by several facilities to combat HAI.)