ASC Industry Responds to JAMA Study on Infection Control

Written by Leigh Page | June 08, 2010

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A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association about infection control practices in ASCs does not provide comparable data in other healthcare settings, according to a joint release from the ASC Advocacy Committee and the ASC Association.

The JAMA study, based on data from a 2008 CMS pilot study of ASCs, reports ASCs' noncompliance rate for appropriate hand hygiene at 19.4 percent, but CMS has not created a comparable monitoring system for other providers, making it difficult to compare ASCs with other settings. However, a study in the American Journal of Infection Control estimated hand hygiene noncompliance in all healthcare settings, including hospitals, at close to 50 percent.

The JAMA study also looked at injection practices, medication handling, reprocessing of surgical equipment, high-touch surfaces in patient care areas and handling of equipment used for blood glucose monitoring in ASCs, but did not provide comparative data at other healthcare settings.

The two organizations stressed ASCs' strong commitment to patient safety and reiterated their call for CMS to implement a nationwide quality reporting system comparing performance across different types of facilities providing comparable services.

"Presenting information in facility-specific silos fails to provide meaningful information for patients and providers in making decisions about where to receive surgical care," the release stated.

The release said the ASC industry takes quality and safety very seriously. Quality measures developed by the ASC Quality Collaboration have been recognized and endorsed by the National Quality Forum. The Quality Collaboration recently released its first educational toolkit, focusing on hand hygiene.

Read the press release on ASC infection control. (pdf)