Tomorrow the Public Health Council will vote on regulations to set up the Department of Public Health’s proposed healthcare associated infections reporting and prevention system.
This proposal has been in the works for a while now, and it represents a serious step forward for the growing Massachusetts patient safety movement. The proposal and the public’s comments (including one from our Consumer Health Quality Council) can be found online here. The proposal would begin public reporting of a handful of infection types this year with an emphasis on helping hospitals reduce their infection rates. Other infection types would be reported only to DPH, not the public, and others would be tracked internally by hospitals. The hope is that public reporting will increase as the program matures.
Public reporting of hospital acquired infections is a top priority of the Consumer Health Quality Council. Several of our members have been deeply affected by preventable infections. You can see their stories at www.hcfama.org/quality/stories. The Council backs legislation with more robust public reporting (H2226, S1277) and has had conversations with DPH about its proposal, including a visit from DPH Commissioner John Auerbach. We are happy to see DPH implementing this infections reporting and prevention program.
The meeting will begin at 9:00 AM at:
Public Health Council Room, Side A
Department of Public Health
250 Washington St, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02108
The agenda can be found online in .pdf here.
