CMS sounding alarm on unsafe needle practices
Inspectors told to call in public health officials
As outbreaks continue to be reported due to unsafe injection practices and improper use of medication vials, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is telling its surveyors to contact public health departments immediately if they see such flagrant breaches of infection control.1
A recent memo from CMS states that if State Survey Agencies (SAs) or Accrediting Organizations (AOs) witness the following practices it’s time to cite and sound the alarm by calling in public health authorities:
• using the same needle for more than one individual;
• using the same (pre-filled/manufactured/insulin or any other) syringe, pen or injection device for more than one individual;
• re-using a needle or syringe which has already been used to administer medication to an individual to subsequently enter a medication container (e.g., vial, bag), and then using contents from that medication container for another individual;
• using the same lancing/fingerstick device for more than one individual, even if the lancet is changed.
According to CMS, SAs should consult with their state’s Healthcare Associated Infections (HAI) Prevention Coordinator or State Epidemiologist on the preferred referral process. Since AOs operate in multiple states, they do not have to confer with state public health officials to set up referral processes, but are expected to refer identified breaches to the appropriate state public health contact identified at: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI.
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Infection Control Breaches Which Warrant Referral to Public Health Authorities May 30, 2014: http://go.cms.gov/1vlKKKw
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