CA hospitals gearing up for tougher infection control laws for 2009
Patient Safety Monitor Alert
December 31, 2008
California hospitals are preparing to comply with two new infection control laws that go into effect on January 1, 2009, reports The Sacramento Bee. Both laws do more to prevent the spread of methicillin-resistant staph aureus (MRSA). Senate Bill 1058 requires hospitals to publicly disclose infection rates, as well as screen patients who are at high risk for having MRSA. Senate Bill 158 gives the Department of Health Services the authority to investigate any reports of poor infection control practices or any infection outbreaks.
Currently, 9,600 of the 100,000 patients who die of hospital infection each year are located in California hospitals, says the Department of Health Services. The legislation was supported by employers, who saw that their healthcare costs were rising due to the $3 billion per year paid in healthcare bills for hospital infections.
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