Home | Contact Us | National APIC
  
  
Regulatory Updates
 
Regulatory
  
Facilitycare Email Report
May 2, 2005

Information changes quickly. Pertinent information that has been "In the News" will be posted here. If you find information that might be useful to others, send it to KaAureden@aol.com and we will get it posted.

Deadline May 17, 2011: APIC MEMBERS – YOUR INPUT IS NEEDED   Submit your comments to The Joint Commission on the proposed requirements “Influenza Vaccination of Staff and Licensed Independent Practitioners” for the following Program(s): Ambulatory Health Care, Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, Behavioral Health Care, Laboratory Services, Long Term Care, Office-Based Surgery, Home Care, Long Term Care (Medicare/Medicaid)
Read more here


MAY 13, 2011 :: Annual Chicago APIC all day educational event “Old Friends, New Trends” (Spring 2011) Note the Early Bird Registration for APIC Chicago Members until April 25th - $25.00!
Read more here


March 1, 2011 :: Read the CDC press release and Vital Signs Fact Sheet on HAIs – CLABSI reduction progress


Deadline March 2, 2010 :: chapter members please vote online for approval of their chapter bylaws at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/APICByLawsVote2011
Voting is open to chapter members (Member ID required) until March 2, 2011 at 5pm.


February 2011 ::  Senator Althoff has introduced a bill, SB 1805, to require the yearly report on MRSA and Clostridium difficile infections that the state Department of Public Health is already required to publish.  Report is to be based on a surveillance system substantially similar to the National Healthcare Safety Network. The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments. To read a text of the bill, please click here.


February 2011 :: Senators Radogno, Hunter, and Garrett are co-sponsors bill SB 1378, referred to the Senate Committee on Assignments, to require that a death certificate indicate the presence of MRSA if it was a contributing factor to, or the cause of, the death. To read the text of the bill, please click here


February 2011:: Newly Introduced Illinois Legislation:

  1. Representatives R. Gabel (D-18-Evanston) and K. Farnham (D-43-Elgin) co-sponsors of a bill, HB 1096, to require skilled nursing facilities to designate an Infection Prevention and Control Professional to develop and implement policies governing control of infections and communicable diseases. The designated Infection Prevention and Control Professional would be qualified through education, training, experience, certification or a combination of these factors. This bill has been referred to the House Rules Committee. To read the text of the bill, please click here

  2. Senator H. Steans (D-7-Chicago) introduced SB0145 to amend Nursing Home Care Act. It provides that a skilled nursing facility shall designate a person(s) as Infection Prevention and Control Professionals to develop and implement policies governing control of infections and communicable diseases and that person(s)’ qualifications shall be documented and made available for inspection by the Department of Public Health. Effective on January 1, 2012.


February 4, 2011:  MCHC notice “MDRO bacteria – Call to Action” , a  conference to assist healthcare facilities in battling multidrug-resistant organisms. 
Read more here


January 26, 2011:  Approval of Chicago APIC chapter bylaws will go to member vote at the Jan 26th meeting. 
Read more here 


January 07, 2011  CMS Office of Public Affairs “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued a proposed rule that would establish a new hospital value-based purchasing program that would reward hospitals for providing high quality, safe care for patients. Under the program, hospitals that perform well on quality measures relating both to clinical process of care and to patient experience of care, or those making improvements in their performance on those measures, would receive higher payments under the program” 
Read more here


December 2, 2010 :: The Joint Commission is seeking input on two proposed National Patient Safety Goals 1) ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and 2)catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). Comment period end date: January 27, 2011 All APIC members are encouraged to review and comment! Visit the Joint Commission website and click on Standards, then field reviews, or read more here


2011 APIC Film Festival Submittals Due 12/31/10   APIC is now accepting submittals for the 2011 APIC Film Festival, scheduled for June 27-29, 2011 in Baltimore, MD. Submittals should be no longer than 10 minutes and may include short documentaries, films, and informational videos that promote best practices in infection prevention and control. The winning entry will receive a complimentary registration to APIC 2011 to see their film/video played in front of a live audience.  To enter - Read the APIC 2011 Film Festival Rules and Guidelines. 


2011 Call for Abstracts Now Open  The APIC 2011 Annual Conference Committee invites you to present research papers and educational presentations of scientific quality in the areas of infection prevention and control, healthcare epidemiology and related fields. Abstracts are peer-reviewed for quality of research, educational or scientific content, logical presentation, and impact on infection prevention, infection control and related fields. All accepted abstracts will be published in the online edition of AJIC (American Journal of Infection Control). All proposals must be submitted online by 11:59pm PST Friday, January 14, 2011.


IIPW 2010  Oct 17 – 23:  Theme of this year’s International Infection Prevention Week is “infection prevention is everyone’s business!” IIPW highlights the infection prevention profession and its work in educating healthcare professionals and administrators, legislators, and consumers about the importance of reducing infection.  For a list of the APIC sponsored activities for IIPW 2010
Read more here


August 23 APIC Webinar on the new CMS requirement for HAI Reporting: Dr. Pollock’s power point slides available here


New AHRQ HAI Data Show Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Greatly Increase the Length and Cost of Hospital Stays
Read more here


PLEASE PARTICIPATE in the 2010 MRSA II survey (September 30, 2010 deadline). APIC appreciates your efforts to protect our patients from MRSA and other HAIs. Thank you for your dedication to APIC and the elimination of HAIs.


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 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


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


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”


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:

Leadership Needed from HHS to Prioritize Prevention Practices and Improve Data on These Infections
Testimony Before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives
Health-Care-Associated Infections in Hospitals
Report to the Chairman, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives

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 Legislative Issues

Legislative Mandates for Use of Active Surveillance Cultures to Screen for Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococci: Position Statement From the Joint SHEA and APIC Task Force
An Intervention to Decrease Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections in the ICU
Site design by mister-duck.com
© 2009 APIC :: Chicago Chapter