Public Policy Updates

The CDC’s Project Firstline and the AMA collaborated to present a webinar, “Measles on the Rise: How to Prepare and Respond in Your Clinic.” A recording of the webinar is now available from the AMA EdHub web page. View the recording.

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Program released an evidence report, “Interventions to Prevent Nonventilator Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia (NV-HAP).” Access the report here.

AHRQ released a new “Toolkit for MRSA Prevention: Targeting SSI” designed to provide resources and tools to help healthcare providers tackle the complex problems of MRSA and SSI prevention for surgical services, specifically cardiac, hip and knee joint replacement, and spinal fusion surgeries. Access the toolkit.

CDC’s Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) is under consideration for elimination. Please write to your federal policymakers to let them know how important HICPAC guidelines are to IPC practices in your facility and your state. Numbers matter – the more messages Congress and the Administration get from their constituents they more they pay … Continued

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a reorganization to comply with the President’s order to reduce the workforce. The restructuring, which is expected to take place in late May, 2025, will reduce HHS staff by about 20,000 full-time employees. Among changes that could impact IPC are: Employee cuts will include: Read the … Continued

APIC, SHEA, IDSA, and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) sent a joint letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy opposing the possible elimination of HICPAC. The letter identifies the many ways HICPAC makes healthcare safer by providing evidence-based guidance on infection prevention and control practices. Read the APIC/SHEA/IDSA/PIDS letter supporting HICPAC.

The President nominated Susan Monarez, Ph.D., to be CDC director after withdrawing his earlier nomination. As then-deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), Dr. Monarez was the opening speaker at APIC’s 2024 AI Summit and talked about the impact of information technology on IPC. Read APIC’s statement on the nomination of … Continued