
APIC
Chicago is a local Chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control
and Epidemiology, Inc. (APIC). APIC is a multi-disciplinary voluntary international
organization with over 10,000 members. The purpose of the organization is to influence,
support and improve the quality of healthcare through the practice and management
of infection control and the application of epidemiology in all healthcare settings.
APIC Chicago has approximately 200 members. Educational meetings
are held at least four times per year with an all day conference held in the fall.
The annual business meeting is held the first Wednesday in December. Visit the
meetings tab to find out more about local, regional and national educational meetings. If
you would like to learn more about the organization, contact any member of the
APIC Chicago Board of Directors or visit the membership section tab. What's
New! International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW) 2010 -
October 17-23, 2010 Infection Prevention is Everyone's Business TO
ALL APIC MEMBERS - You can help make IIPW 2010 the most successful year yet!
By bringing this event to your states attention, you will help raise awareness
of the efforts in the field of infection prevention and control. Please visit
the VIP Action Center and send a letter to your Governor - click
here to go to the IIPW Action Alert. Add your name and insert your contact
information in the Sender Information section at the bottom of the
page and click the send. Your letter will be on its way to your governor.
Thank you for your help in this effort and please contact Sombo Pujeh, APIC Public
Policy Coordinator, at apictemp3@apic.org
or 202-454-2569 if you have any questions.
June
21, 2010 :: CDC’s “Updated Guidance: Prevention Strategies for Seasonal
Influenza in Healthcare Settings” which will be published in Federal Register:
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-15015.pdf
Please note the a 30-day public comment period. April
23, 2010 IDPH Workgroups – Infection Prevention and HAI
Workgroups are open to all Illinois infection preventionists who are interested
in participating in “MDRO surveillance”, “Outbreaks”, “Electronic surveillance
– IP program”, or “LTC”. Conference calls for workgroups start week
of 4/26. To
participate, read more here April 19, 2010
“Illinois SSI Reporting Q&A” has published a compilation of some of the
questions that have come in from users, with answers from IDPH and the team at
NHSN. Read
more here March 2010 :: Report
from Chicago APIC Legislative Representative Mary Alice Lavin: MRSA
Legislation bill SB 2981 was passed with amendments by the Senate and
referred to the House Committee on Rules on March 12. The bill was amended by
Senator Christine Radogno, the author of the original bill, to repeal the January
1, 2011 sunset date for the “MRSA Screening and Reporting Act” but leaving
the rest of the law unchanged. March 5 2010
:: PowerPoint on “F441 Interpretive Guideline Changes” by Judith
Conway, RN, BS, CIC presented at Chicago APIC Educational meetings at Lutheran
Home in Arlington Heights, Illinois. Click
here for presentaion Click
here for upcoming SSI webinars per IDPH and APIC central
Illinois 3/16/10 or 3/25/10 or 3/26/10
Thursday,
January 21, 2010 :: Chicago APIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM "Illinois Healthcare-Associated
Infections (HAI) Plan" Mary Fornek Click
here for PowerPoint Presentation December
2009 :: Notice regarding lack of FDA clearance for Steris System 1 and
FDA recommendation that all users transition to alternative methods within the
next 3-6 months http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/AlertsandNotices/ucm191585.htm
Also, read MCHC
letter here Thursday, January 21, 2010 :: Chicago
APIC EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM "Business Case for Infection Control" PowerPoint
presentation: "The Business Case for Infection Prevention and Control: Knowledge,
Tools and Timing" Denise Murphy, RN, BSN, MPH, CIC Click
here for the PowerPoint Presentation December
2009 :: Illinois SSI reporting requirements by April 2010: CABG and TKR
Read
more here December 2009 :: Illinois HAI
Prevention Plan of December 23, 2009 Read
more here Notice
of proposed Chicago APIC bylaw change for the December 2009 business meeting
September
2009: : PROPOSED rule changes to Illinois Hospital Licensing Requirements were
published on 8/7/09. The PROPOSED include changes to Section 250.1100 (Infection
Control). Go to http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/departments/index/register/register_volume33_issue32.pdf
(Refer to PDF pages 59 through 81; page numbers 11418
through 11440). Comment instructions on page 11419
June
9, 2009 :: APIC Position Paper on Automated Surveillance Technologies The
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) supports
the use of automated surveillance technologies as an essential part of infection
prevention and control activities
.. Read
position paper here
May 26, 2009 :: Mentorship
Program for Chicago APIC members Click
here to read more here
February 2009 - Informational
letter from Chicago APIC Legislative Representative Mary Alice Lavin about
Illinois MRSA legislation - SB 185, the MRSA Screening, Prevention, and
Reporting Act and SB 1712, the K-12 Educational MRSA Prevention Act Read
More Here
January 2009 Announcement: APIC
Chicago Metro Area Chapter Member Help Line Call Me For Questions - - As a
service to Chicago APIC members, a list of members who are ready and willing to
assist with questions on a variety of infection prevention topics is available.
There is also a perminate link on the left column of the Resource
Page. January 2009: APIC Chicago Metro
Area Chapter Survey – Executive Summary was presented at the January Chicago
APIC meeting, Click
here to access the summary December 2008
CBIC news: Elimination of 2 year practice requirement Read
more here October 2008
The Compendium of Strategies to
Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Acute Care Hospitals was produced
by SHEA and IDSA, in partnership with AHA. APIC, and The Joint Commission. These
five leading healthcare organizations have come together to publish practical,
science-based strategies to help prevent the six most important healthcare-associated
infections (HAIs). Click
here to access the compendium August 2008
CMS Issues Final IPPS Rule for Fiscal Year
2009 Click
here to view the Final Rule Click
here to view Press Release related to the Final Rule 20
July 08 IMPORTANT
IDPH REPORTING UPDATE May 9, 2008 CMS-ProposeHospAcqConditions2009
April 2008
CMS-1390-Proposed Changes to the Hospital Inpatient Prospective
Payment Systems and Fiscal Year 2009 (Display Date: 04/14/2008; Publication
Date: 04/30/2008)
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/AcuteInpatientPPS/ April
15, 2008 Hearing
entitled "Healthcare Associated Infections: A Preventable Epidemic"
held Wednesday, April 16th before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee
on Government Oversight and Reform. Reade More Here:
March 14, 2008 Amendment
to IL Control of Tuberculosis Code (77 Ill. Adm. Code 696) Illinois Register Citation:
32 Ill. Reg. 4010) The rules previously required
the use of the Mantoux tuberculin skin test (TST) as the only test approved for
screening for LTBI. The amendment allows the use of a newly developed FDA-approved
blood test for the detection of patients with active TB disease or LTBI.
Click
here to read more October 2007
OSHA Annual TB fit test requirement: Lisa Tomlinson, APIC Director
of Government Affairs, has confirmed that the requirement for ANNUAL FIT TEST
(TB) is enforceable on October 1, 2007 despite much effort to change and prevent
this requirement. >>
Read more here August 2007
The Governor signed both HB 192 and SB 233 on 8/20/07.
July 2007 The IL Hospital
Report Card Act became effective March 28, 2007. Read
more here June 7, 2007
IDPH has published a memo (6/7/07) that includes many useful CA MRSA references.
Click
here for the IDPH memo The healthcare provider guidelines
highlighted in the memo is entitled “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus
aureus in Illinois: Guidelines for the Primary Care Provider”. It can be
accessed on the web at http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/infect/MRSA_Provider.htm
April 25, 2007 CMS
Proposes Changes For Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System It
is noteworthy that use of "Present on Admissions Codes" also take effect
on October 1, 2007. Proposed conditions that
will not be covered include HAI related issues: Catheter-associated urinary tract
infections; pressure ulcers; Staphylococcus aureus septicema; and "serious
preventable events:" object left in surgery; air embolism, and blood incompatibility.
http://www.apic.org/EUpdate
April 2007 Recommendations
for Surveillance of Clostridium difficile-Associated Disease McDonald
LC, et.al. (Ad Hoc Clostridium difficile Surveillance Working Group) ICHE 2007
Feb;28 (2):140-5 March 2007 Available
now on APIC web site (under Government Advocacy): Guide
to the Elimination of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in Hospital
Settings, created by the MRSA Task Force and released on March 14,
2007, provides infection prevention and control professionals with a step-by-step
approach to battle MRSA transmission. A range of approaches has been included
to make the guide appropriate for any size or type of facility. MRSA
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