A hospital must have an active infection control program to track, prevent, and control infectious diseases, including Healthcare-Associated Infections, or HAIs. Additionally, the hospital must have a program for optimizing antibiotic use through stewardship. This program will discuss CMS's changes to the infection control standards in 2019 and the interpretive guidelines developed in July 2022.
The program will cover what a hospital must have in place to comply with the regulation, including qualifications of the infection preventionist, the existence of a hospital-wide antibiotic stewardship program, and following nationally recognized infection control standards.
Though no longer utilized by CMS during a survey, the Infection Control Worksheet will be mentioned. It is an excellent tool to prepare a facility for a study because CMS incorporated the areas covered in the worksheet into the standards.
This webinar will cover the CDC vaccine storage, handling toolkit, and the procedures for cleaning and disinfecting reusable medical devices. The Joint Commission standards on the Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) will be discussed.
Laura A. Dixon served as the Director, of Facility Patient Safety and Risk Management, and Operations for COPIC from 2014 to 2020. In her role, Ms. Dixon provided patient safety and risk management consulting and training to facilities, practitioners, and staff in multiple states. Such services included the creation of and presentations on risk management topics, assessment of healthcare facilities; and development of programs and compilation of reference materials that complement physician-oriented products. Ms. Dixon has more than twenty years of clinical experience in acute care facilities, including critical care, coronary care, peri-operative services, and pain management. Prior to joining COPIC, she served as the Director, of the Western Region, Patient Safety and Risk Management for The Doctors Company, Napa, California. In this capacity, she provided patient safety and risk management consultation to the physicians and staff in the western United States.
Ms. Dixon’s legal experience includes representation of clients for Social Security Disability Insurance providing legal counsel and representation at disability hearings and appeals, medical malpractice defense, and representation of nurses before the Colorado Board of Nursing. As a registered nurse and attorney, Laura holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Regis University, RECEP of Denver, a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from Drake University College of Law, Des Moines, Iowa, and a Registered Nurse Diploma from Saint Luke’s School Professional Nursing, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is licensed to practice law in Colorado and California.
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