Long-Term Care Survey Alert

Get ready for new revised survey guidance -- this time for infection control.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is implemented revised guidance on Sept. 30 that combines F441, F442, F443, F444, and F445 into guidance for F441 (infection control). In the guidance, CMS notes that infections "account for up to half of all nursing home resident transfers to hospitals."

For an in-depth look at the revamped survey guidance, including the investigative protocol, see the next Long-Term Care Survey Alert.

Looking to boost flu immunization rates for healthcare personnel? The Joint Commission is providing a monograph that includes numerous field-tested strategies for doing exactly that. These include education, making the vaccine easily available,  and use of role models, among other best practice approaches. The monograph presents case studies which show that requiring staff members  who refuse the vaccine to provide declination statements can significantly improve staff vaccination rates.

For example, one hospital provides staff members access to flu vaccination through numerous venues, including availability of the vaccine in nursing stations. Staff members who refuse the vaccine are required to go to the employee health service to receive education on influenza, and the flu vaccination's benefits and safety issues, etc. If the staff person still refuses the vaccination, he or she has to indicate why. Read this and other case studies on declination on page 43 of the monograph. (Download the monograph at www.jointcommission.org/PatientSafety/InfectionControl/flu_monograph.)