News in brief - Oct 31, 2011

Hospitals meeting most CDC infection-prevention goals

Hospitals nationwide are hitting the infection-prevention targets set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency announced in October. The rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections has declined 33% since 2008, well on the way to meeting the goal of a 50% reduction by 2013.

Cather-associated urinary tract infections, meanwhile, have fallen by 7%. There are 10% fewer surgical-site infections, and there has been an 18% decline in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, the CDC said (www.hhs.gov/ash/initiatives/hai/nationaltargets).

Adherence to recommended central-line insertion practices also is improving, but the rate of Clostridium difficile hospitalizations is going in the wrong direction. C. diff admissions rose 1.1% from the 2008 baseline of 8.8 per 1,000 hospitalizations. The 2013 goal is to slash that rate by 30%, which the CDC says is unlikely to happen.

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Illinois physician profile database back online

A wide spectrum of information about Illinois physicians is now easily accessible to patients and others from a state website that went online in October. Patients can search more than 46,000 licensed Illinois physicians by name, county, city, specialty and hospital affiliation using the Illinois Dept. of Professional Regulation database (www.idfpr.com/applications/professionprofile).

The site lists office locations, hospital affiliations, board specialty certifications, legal actions and board discipline. Physicians had 60 days to review the information before it went public. Doctors have the option to provide the website with information about private insurances they accept as well as professional activities, honors and awards.

The site was taken down in 2010 after a state Supreme Court medical liability ruling. The Illinois State Medical Society took a neutral position on the legislation reinstating the site.

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