Durbin Calls on Federal Government to Take an Active Role in Reducing Community and Healthcare-Associated Infections
Press Release
Durbin Calls on Federal Government to Take an Active Role in Reducing Community and Healthcare-Associated Infections
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of community and healthcare-associated infectionsparticularly antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as MRSA. Durbin's initiative, the Community and Healthcare-Associated Infections Reduction (CHAIR) Act of 2007, follows several confirmed cases of MRSA infections involving students in the Chicagoland area over the last few weeks. The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).
"This legislation builds on what hospitals are already doing and what infectious disease experts and government agencies agree is critical to reducing the emergence of these infections," said Durbin. "We have a national responsibility to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of community and healthcare-associated infections."
Durbin's legislation addresses key needs with five specific initiatives.
1) Need: Better Data
Durbin bill:
* Hospitals will be required to report infection rates.
* Right now reporting is voluntary for hospitals, so we just don't have very good data.
2) Need: Comprehensive infection control programs
Durbin bill:
* Calls for a report on "best practices" to be done by AHRQ and result in new infection control standards.
* Calls on CMS to ensure that plans hospitals submit adhere to the new infection control standards created by AHRQ.
* Part of each hospital's quality control plan will address the prevention and management of infectious disease, specifically drug-resistant infections. Potentially, the infection control program could include:
* Point person or committee in the hospital that oversees infection control
* Hand washing regulations
* Standards for labwork
* Staff training and education on infection prevention and control
* System to track infected patients
* Protocol for staff that have been exposed
* Communication between healthcare facilities
3) Need: Help prevent infections by rewarding hospitals that succeed
Durbin bill:
* Calls for a feasibility study of a financial reward for hospitals that lower the rate of infections.
4) Need: Greater coordination of and greater emphasis on research at the federal level
Durbin bill:
* Creates an interagency working group to discuss and coordinate a comprehensive federal effort to reduce and prevent infections. The interagency group will consist of representation from each federal agency that has jurisdiction over, or is affected by, infections , including CMS, CDC, HRSA, AHRQ, FDA and USDA.
* Authorizing funding at the National Institutes of Health for the establishment of new research programs, or enhancement of existing research programs, that focus on CHAI.
5) Need: Public education on the issue
Durbin bill:
* Creates a grant program for states who carry out a public awareness campaign to educate and increase awareness of reducing and preventing CHAI, especially in schools.
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