Building a Comprehensive MRSA Infection Control Program

Healthcare providers struggle to manage healthcare associated infections (HAIs), as invasive MRSA infections in the US rise to a staggering 94,000 per year. This infective agent alone is causing 9,000 deaths per year and is costing US hospitals between 4 and 5 billion dollars annually. Developing an MRSA active surveillance program demands a hospital-wide commitment to safety and availability of a rapid molecular PCR MRSA detection method. While the primary benefit of a comprehensive MRSA infection control program is to identify and reduce infection rates, this program also creates an opportunity for the hospital to save thousands of dollars in costs associated with HAIs.
 

  Complete case study in PDF
  Dr. Geiger's AACC Poster
  Webinar: Expanding MRSA Surveillance Beyond the High Risk Population: Securing Organizational Buy-In
  Webinar slides in PDF

Orthopedic Surgery Hospital Raises the Bar with SA/MRSA Eradication Program

New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH) was keenly aware of the competitive elective orthopedic market in the Massachusetts area. To compete with nearby world-class institutions such as Brigham and Women's Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, they would need to provide excellence in care at every level. In 2007, a zero tolerance infection eradication program for Staph aureus/Methicillin Resistant Staph aureus (SA/MRSA) was initiated, reducing the incidence of surgical site infections (SSI) by 59% in the first year. By 2010, a commitment to patient safety advanced New England Baptist Hospital to #1 market position performing 10%, 12,000 cases annually, of the orthopedic procedures in the Massachusetts area.
 

  Complete case study in PDF
  Kim, et al. JBJS Article Abstract (to obtain a full copy of this article, please see your Cepheid Sales Representative)
  Webinar: Reducing Surgical Site Infections - A Multidisciplinary Approach To Work Toward Zero
  Webinar slides in PD

Using a Rapid MRSA/SA Blood Test to Optimize Antimicrobial Stewardship and Therapy

In 2008, the Center for Medicare Services (CMS) reduced reimbursement for a subset of preventable hospital-acquired infections (HAI), motivating The Ohio State University (OSU) Medical Center to identify an easy-to-perform, rapid test for the early identification of Staph aureus bacteremia. The following year later, the Xpert^® MRSA/SA BC test was integrated into the OSU Medical Center's hospital-wide antimicrobial stewardship program to identify infected patients and de-escalate/optimize antimicrobial therapy for septic patients. The Antimicrobial Stewardship program was a success - reducing length of stay by 6.2 days and impacting overall healthcare care costs by a $21,387 in their bacteremic patient population.
 

  Complete case study in PDF
  Goff et al. CID article
  Webinar: Optimizing Antimicrobial Stewardship and Therapy Using a Rapid MRSA/SA Blood Culture Test
  Webinar slides in PDF

Five Campus Health System Fulfills Senior Management Challenge to Dramatically Reduce HAIs

From December 2007 through December 2010 Cone Health (known as Moses Cone Health System at the time) participated in the VHA initiative to reduce MRSA infections. As part of this initiative they implemented a number of interventions such as requiring all admitted patients to bathe in chlorhexidine gluconate, hand hygiene programs for healthcare providers, environmental cleaning programs, etc. Despite all these efforts the MRSA transmission rate remained stagnate - ranging from 0.05 to 0.72 per 1,000 patient days. Cone Health consistently ranked in the lowest 10% of hospitals participating in the VHA initiative. This situation was particularly frustrating for members of the infection prevention team that, while participating in the initiative, knew that there were other things that could be done to make an impact on infection rates.
 

  Complete case study in PDF
  Webinar: HAI Prevention - 21st Century Tools for Making a Difference
  Webinar slides in PDF