Alison Gibson, the director of assessment and survey for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, outlines three key steps ASCs can take to avoid this problem.
1. Develop policies and procedures for staff and physicians that reflect national standards and CDC recommendations.
2. Train staff on those policies and procedures. Federal requirements and state licensing standards require each facility to have an infection control program that is under the direction of a designated and qualified professional who has training in infection control. Infection control professionals are people with specific training and certification in surveillance, prevention and control of infections. This person could be a nurse on staff who also has the necessary training and certification, but there’s no requirement that the person be a nurse.
3. Make sure those policies and procedures are being carried out, which is a quality assurance issue. ASCs that wish to participate in Medicare are required to have quality assurance program in which the facility chooses what things to watch for. If a problem is identified, such as reusing single-dose vials, then that program should monitor the issue to make sure staff members are following policies and procedures properly.
