Public Policy Updates

The CDC in collaboration with the American Medical Association, hosted a five-part webinar series to introduce the Sepsis Core Elements and share real-life examples, strategies, and best practices to help organizations successfully implement them. For those who missed the live webinars, recordings are available on the Hospital Sepsis Program Core Elements website. Free continuing education … Continued

A new report from Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) describes a nationwide tuberculosis (TB) outbreak reported in July 2023 caused by bone allografts containing live cells. This was the second outbreak of bone allograft–related TB in recent years and underscores the urgent need to implement improved donor screening and culture-based testing to prevent tissue-derived … Continued

Effective July 1, 2024, The Joint Commission approved new and revised requirements for the “Infection Prevention and Control” (IC) chapter for critical access hospitals and hospitals. The simplified content and structure eliminated requirements that do not add value to accreditation surveys. Read more.

The CDC is reporting increases in COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in recent weeks as the prevalence of the JN.1 variant continues to rise in the U.S. and globally. While causing less severe illness than previous variants, JN.1 now accounts for approximately 62% of all currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. Read the CDC update.

The FDA announced that it considers vaporized hydrogen peroxide (VHP) to be an Established Category A method of sterilization for medical devices, recognizing VHP’s long history of safety and effectiveness. Broader use of VHP is part of the FDA’s multi-pronged approach to reducing the use of ethylene oxide (EtO) when possible. Read the FDA news release.

At the request of the manufacturer, NIOSH has rescinded approval of one A & Z Pharmaceutical respirator. As of December 6, 2023, any respirator with NIOSH approval number TC-84A-9307 is no longer NIOSH approved and may no longer be used, manufactured, assembled, sold, or distributed. Read the NIOSH notice.

Following manufacturers’ plans to release additional doses of nirsevimab, the CDC updated it recommendations for use of the long-acting monoclonal antibody immunization to prevent RSV-associated lower respiratory tract disease in young children. Although a CDC Health Advisory issued in October recommended prioritization of the drug because of limited supply, CDC and ACIP now recommend that … Continued

Earlier versions of the eNews and Action eList shared data from the previous year’s progress report. This webpage has been updated to reflect the 2022 report released by CDC. CDC has published the 2022 National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Progress Report. This report provides a summary of select HAIs across four healthcare settings: acute … Continued

Monday, December 4 — The December 2023 Quarterly Confidential Feedback Reports for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Skilled Nursing Facility Value-Based Purchasing (SNF VBP) Program are now available to download via the Internet Quality Improvement and Evaluation System (iQIES). These reports contain facility and stay-level data and results for the SNF 30-Day All-Cause Readmission Measure … Continued