Decrease infection transmission risk to increase engagement
May 04, 2018
Long-term care facility employees have a responsibility to ensure an optimal healthcare environment to enable resident recovery, respite or relief, and environmental cleanliness is crucial to confer a...
Close the infection loop to reduce outbreak risk
May 12, 2014
The readmission scores of nursing homes will be posted to the Nursing Home Compare website beginning in 2017, and the VBP program will begin Oct. 1, 2018. For the first time, facilities will not just face...
Hidden dangers: Protocols and best practices are needed to stave off bathing-acquired infections
By
John Hall
May 08, 2018
At the risk of sounding alarmist, your facility’s bath tubs and accessories such as lifts are likely going to make your residents sick — some experts say very sick. Unless, of course, you’re...
Want to build a strong IPC program? You need to get creative.
By
Buffy Lloyd-Krejci, DrPH, CIC
Apr 10, 2024
It’s truly remarkable to reflect on the four years that have passed since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. Throughout this time, profound lessons have been learned about infection prevention and...
CDC releases HAI Data: How are we doing?
By
Jacie Volkman, MPH, CIC
Jul 16, 2014
For many years, healthcare institutions have been focused on different ways to decrease HAIs, as federal reimbursement initiatives loomed. So, what does this report card tell us? We’ve come a long...
Are we there yet? Vaccination success won’t ease need for LTC vigilance, observers say
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 18, 2021
The need for stepped-up infection control measures likely will remain a necessity for the foreseeable future, say industry observers and stakeholders.
Help for nursing homes? All we hear are crickets
By
Brendan Williams
Jul 11, 2022
Nursing homes were an early epicenter of the pandemic, as they were especially vulnerable to viral respiratory transmission due to chronic state Medicaid underfunding that kept infrastructure aged and...
CMS adds enhanced barrier precautions to infection control guidance
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 22, 2024
Nursing homes must begin to use enhanced barrier precautions to prevent broader transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms and to help protect patients with chronic wounds and indwelling devices, the...
‘Exceedingly difficult’ to control COVID inside facilities when virus rages outside, LTC experts...
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 22, 2021
Long-term care operators located in areas of high COVID-19 prevalence are hamstrung when it comes to keeping SARS-CoV-2 infections from infiltrating their facilities, the country’s top long-term care...
Easy to implement infection prevention and control strategies during the holidays in LTC facilities
By
Buffy Lloyd-Krejci, DrPH, CIC
Dec 12, 2023
The Department of Health and Human Services released a report in January of this year showing that more than 1,000 long-term care facilities in the United States had COVID-19 infection rates of 75% or...