Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Las Vegas Review-Journal (12.12.08) - Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Annette Wells
The study, now in the planning stages, will be conducted by the Government Accountability Office. It is expected to be completed by February. In addition to looking into how many infections occur in outpatient facilities, the study will determine whether the centers are following appropriate infection-control procedures, said Cynthia Bascetta, GAO's director of health care.
"There have been situations across the country that have raised concerns about the problems in those health care settings," said Bascetta.
"One of the problems is that people aren't admitted into ambulatory surgery centers, so it is much harder to figure out what the source of an infection is if that person is being treated elsewhere," Bascetta noted.
CDC, which performs surveillance of disease outbreaks, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which regulates ambulatory surgery centers and monitors their infection- control practices, will collect data for the study.
The hepatitis C outbreak in Las Vegas has led to several changes to infection-control policies and prompted several health care studies, said Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association.
According to CDC, an estimated 6 million medical procedures are performed annually in non-hospital settings, where infection-control resources are often limited compared to those in hospitals. And the number is growing.
"I do believe that there will be significant long-range benefits to the nation's health care resulting from the positive response to the Las Vegas outbreak, although the price has been high for patients who should not have been placed at risk and for the lost confidence in the health care system," said Matheis.
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