Reid Health Hospital among top 16 in Consumer Reports review for infection prevention

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RICHMOND, Ind. – Reid Health Hospital is among the nation’s top 16 hospitals for infection prevention, according to a study released by Consumer Reports.

The 16 are recognized in the September issue of the magazine, which includes an in-depth story about hospital safety and infection in a review of more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals. The review looked at data on various infections and specifically on a bacteria known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and C. diff (clostridium difficile), which are common challenges for hospital infection control.

“Hospitals really begin to distinguish themselves when they earn high ratings against both infections,” the Consumer Reports article says. “Even better, some hospitals excel against not only MRSA and C. diff, but also other infections that the Centers for Disease Control tracks and that are in our ratings.”

Craig Kinyon, Reid Health President/CEO, said the recognition underscores many years of focus by the Reid Health system on patient safety and infection prevention.

“We have long had full-time Infection Control and Patient Safety officers that work every day on preventing infections. Of the many national indicators of quality and safety that we track and report on, we are especially proud of this indicator as it arguably points to patient outcomes and lives that are saved,” Kinyon noted. “We spend much time and resources on educating our staff and practicing the highest standards to prevent hospital-acquired infections.”

Greg Carter, Infection Control Practitioner for Reid Health, said Reid follows extensive protocols in the efforts to identify and prevent spread of infection. That includes monitoring hand-washing compliance with “secret shoppers,” technology that alerts the infection prevention team when a lab result is positive for a multi-drug resistant organism, and other measures that help isolate any infections to keep them from spreading.

“All staff are our infection prevention liaisons and take patient safety very seriously,” Carter said. “We are a multi-disciplinary team that works closely with our physicians, pharmacists, lab team, environmental services and others to make Reid Health a safe and clean environment.”

Staff report

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