Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/774606
19 INFECTION CONTROL & PATIENT SAFETY 31 Low-Performing Teaching Hospitals for Central Line Infection Prevention By Brian Zimmerman H ighly preventable central-line infec- tions were cut in half between 2008 and 2014, according to the CDC. e success has been described as one of the nation's greatest achievements in patient safety by Arjun Srinivasan, MD, associate director for Healthcare Associated Infection Preven- tion Programs at the CDC. However, while many of the nation's hospitals have had great success at reducing these infections, others have struggled. A Consumer Reports investigation identified 31 prominent teaching hospitals with high rates of central line infections when compared to peer organizations. For the investigation, Consumer Reports analyzed publicly available data on central-line infections from 2011 to 2015 on nearly 2,000 hospitals. "Because teaching hospitals are teaching our next generation of physicians, we think it's criti- cal to monitor them closely. Our review of their performance on controlling central line infec- tions is very sobering," said Doris Peter, PhD, director of the Consumer Reports Health Rat- ings Center. "Central line infections are highly preventable and there are no excuses for poor performance on this metric. It's unfortunate to see so many well-known hospitals, some who tout their top rankings and awards, sitting on the sidelines of one of the biggest triumphs in patient safety." Every year approximately 650,000 patients de- velop infections associated with central-lines, which supply medication, nutrients and fluids to patients who need them. ese infections result in the deaths of 75,000 people. Here are the 31 lowest-scoring teaching hospi- tals for central line infection prevention, pre- sented alphabetically. Atlanta Medical Center (Atlanta) Banner-University Medical Center Tucson (Ariz.) Brooklyn Hospital Center (New York City) Community Regional Medical Center (Fres- no, Calif.) Cooper University Health Care (Camden, N.J.) Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (Leb- anon, N.H.) Emory University Hospital Midtown (Atlanta) Eskenazi Health (Indianapolis) George Washington University Hospital (Washington, D.C.) Grady Memorial Hospital (Atlanta) Holy Cross Hospital (Silver Spring, Md.) Howard University Hospital (Washington, D.C.) Hurley Medical Center (Flint, Mich.) Indiana University Health University Hospital (Indianapolis) Interim LSU Public Hospital (New Orleans) Long Beach Memorial Medical Center (Long Beach, Calif.) MacNeal Hospital (Berwyn, Ill.) Maine Medical Center (Portland, Maine) Maricopa Integrated Health System (Phoenix) Nebraska Medicine - Nebraska Medical Cen- ter (Omaha, Neb.) Palmetto Health Richland (Columbia, S.C.) Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, N.J.) Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) SUNY Downstate Medical Center University Hospital (New York City) Truman Medical Center - Hospital Hill (Kan- sas City, Mo.) Tulane Medical Center (New Orleans) UC San Diego Health UF Health Jacksonville (Fla.) University Hospital (Newark, N.J.) University Medical Center of El Paso (Texas) University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (Iowa City) ese ratings do not take into account 2016 data from the hospitals, which had not yet been made publicly available. n Study: Overlapping Surgeries Prove Safe at Mayo By Brian Zimmerman C oordinating surgeries so a physician has two patients in operating rooms at the same time is safe and produces the same outcomes as non-overlapping surgeries at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., according to a study published in December in the Annals of Surgery. While proponents of concurrent surgeries categorize the practice as an effective method to improve hospital effi- ciency, the practice has come under scrutiny in major me- dia outlets and drawn concern from U.S. senators. To evaluate the safety and efficacy of overlapping surgeries, researchers analyzed data from the University HealthSystem Consortium, an academic medical center alliance of which Mayo is a member, on 10,614 overlapping surgeries and 16,111 non-overlapping procedures performed at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Researchers also examined an additional data sample from the American College of Surgeons-National Surgical Quality Improvement Program on more than 10,000 surgeries performed at Mayo in Rochester, 3,000 of which were overlapping procedures. For the additional sample, re- searchers matched procedures by surgeon. Analysis revealed no difference in outcomes. "Our data shows that overlapping surgery as practiced here is safe," said study co-author Robert Cima, MD, a colorectal surgeon and chair of surgical quality at Mayo's Rochester campus. "We think it provides value to our patients because it allows more patients timely access to surgery and care by expert teams." The American College of Surgeons issued new standards in April 2016 addressing concurrent surgeries. The ACS did not prohibit the practice, but did say the patient should be informed if the surgeon is involved in more than one oper- ation at a time. n