Idaho HAI Action Networks

Qualis Health invites Idaho acute care hospitals to participate in a Healthcare-Acquired Infections (HAI) Prevention Initiative. This initiative is free to hospital participants and seeks to engage all hospitals in Idaho. Funded through a Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) Program, the project will support Idaho hospitals in achieving the bold national patient safety goal of dramatically reducing HAIs over the next three years.

Alignment with Federal Requirements and National Initiatives
We are confident our initiative on HAI prevention will assist your efforts around other federal and national projects. HAIs are now integral elements in the following programs, impacting your bottom line: Inpatient Quality Reporting (IQR), Hospital-Acquired Conditions, and Value-Based Purchasing (VBP). HAI prevention is also a standout goal under the Partnership for Patients Initiative, The Joint Commission Patient Safety Goals, HHS Action Plan to Prevent HAIs, and Meaningful Use work.

Alignment with Idaho Stakeholders
This project is offered in coordination with the Idaho Chapter of APIC (Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology). Because there is an existing education forum monthly for facility Infection Preventionists through Idaho APIC, Qualis Health will simply enhance this learning network with webinar technology and access to national, regional, and local experts. Additionally, Qualis Health is actively partnered other Idaho HAI stakeholders to decrease burden to hospitals and prevent duplicating efforts.

The Medicare priorities for HAIs include: central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI)catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), Clostridium Difficile infections (CDI), and surgical site infections (SSI). The Qualis Health HAI Prevention Initiative will use Learning & Action Networks to work with Idaho hospitals.

These Learning & Action Networks are the two core elements of the Qualis Health HAI Prevention Initiative—they are designed to promote collaboration and get results. In order to participate, we ask that two members of the senior leadership team at each hospital, one being a board member, to sign an Agreement to Participate. These senior leaders (1) commit their hospital’s participation in the HAI Learning Network and (2) agree to perform infection reduction activities when identified by NHSN and national threshold data.

Idaho HAI Prevention Learning Network (All Idaho Hospitals): Free Education Delivered Through Idaho APIC Chapter Structure

• Qualis Health partner with APIC to deliver content through existing APIC education series
• Patient Safety Tools & Quality Improvement Methods webinars to enhance knowledge
• HAI Prevention Activities Calendar to communicate learning opportunities
• HAI Mentor Directory to foster collaboration and shared learning between hospitals
• Hospitals commit to systems of hand hygiene, trigger tools for central lines catheters,
• and receive information on a central line placement protocol and SSI reduction tools

Idaho HAI Prevention Action Network (Some Idaho IPPS Hospitals): Free Customized Assistance by Qualis Health Consultant and/or Team

• Qualis health provide customized technical assistance to select hospitals
• Hospitals participate in CLABSI, CAUTI, & CDI based on rates above national threshold
• Hospitals participate in SSI reduction activities
• Assessment of CLABSI, CAUTI, & CDI incidence rates using NHSN data
• Facilitated peer-to-peer problem-solving and shared learning