Phenelle Segal Discusses Hand Hygiene With ASC Focus

ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, discusses hand hygiene in the September issue of ASC Focus, the official magazine of the Ambulatory Surgery Center Association.

The column is titled "Splash, Soap, Rinse, Dry: How to assess hand hygiene and stay compliant."

As the column notes, despite years of hard work to pro­mote and attain hand hygiene com­pliance in the health care setting, the industry continues to struggle to achieve goals that are set by external agencies and within the facilities themselves.

In addition to providing insight for the column, Phenelle also offers seven tips for hand hygiene compliance in an accompanying sidebar.

View the ASC Focus column by clicking here.

Phenelle Segal to Present Infection Prevention Pre-Meeting Workshop for OAASC

ICCS President Phenelle Segal will present a pre-meeting infection prevention (IP) workshop for the Ohio Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (OAASC) 2016 Annual Conference.

This daylong IP pre-session will take place September 14 from 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. The session is described as follows:

"Accrediting bodies, ODH and Medicare — oh my! They are cracking down on infection prevention more than ever before! You and your center MUST have ongoing training, acceptable protocols in place and in-service training. There are also numerous items being inspected in ASCs that have never been reviewed before.

"There is only one place in Ohio to get AFFORDABLE training and resources you need for your center. No need to travel to expensive trainings elsewhere that often cover far more than you and your ASC need when you can get in Ohio.

"Our daylong pre-session ... in advance of our annual multidisciplinary conference will cover the multitude of issues and concerns facing ASC professionals on a wide range of infection prevention topics.

"Our two new national experts Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, and President of Infection Control Consulting Services, and Carol Jorgensen, RN, MSN, MBA, and Perioperative Technical Consultant from 3M Infection Prevention Division, will provide a fast-paced, informative, packed program with excellent, evidence-based information to help you build and enhance your current IP program or develop a new one.

"Attendance will meet CMS and ODH requirements for infection prevention continuing education. All participants will receive a certificate of participation, information for in-service training and continuing education."

The OAASC conference runs throughout September 16. It is an event exclusively for Ohio ASC professionals, including IP directors, administrators, nurses, business managers and coders.

Attendees of the conference that would like to arrange an on-site meeting with Phenelle can contact her by filling out the form here.

Phenelle is scheduled to speak at two other state ASC association meetings this year:

• Tennessee Ambulatory Surgery Center Association (TASCA), where she will present on "CMS Requirements for ASCs – Updated Surveyor’s Worksheet" and "Cleaning, Disinfection and Sterilization" on September 29
• Massachusetts Association of Ambulatory Surgery Centers (MAASC), where she will deliver presentations on "Infection Prevention and QAPI" and "CMS Surveyor's Updated Worksheet and Ongoing Deficiencies" on October 4

ICCS Publishes Special Report on Surgical Attire in the OR

ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, has published a new special report discussing regulations and guidelines concerning surgical attire worn in the operating room (OR).

The report addresses the recently published statement on professional attire for surgeons from the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

While Segal praises the value of organizations bringing attention to infection prevention issues, she notes that "... aspects of the statement have created significant confusion amongst hospital and ambulatory surgery center (ASC) staff," specifically concerning head coverings.

Read the ICCS special report on surgical attire compliance.

Phenelle Segal Discusses ASC Antibiotic Stewardship With Becker's

In a new column published by Becker's Infection Control & Clinical Quality, ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, discusses ambulatory surgery center antibiotic stewardship programs.

The piece is titled "3 challenges ASC face in multidisciplinary antibiotic stewardship program implementation."

As the column notes, "Antibiotic stewardship is a key component of infection prevention, and may be quite challenging as antibiotic stewardship varies across the continuum of care. ... While hospitals have been working for several years to develop these programs, the concept is relatively new for ASCs and they face a certain set of challenges when devising a program."

The ASC antibiotic stewardship challenges identified by Phenelle concern the following:

1. Inappropriate antibiotic use
2. Lack of resources to integrate a multidisciplinary approach
3. Education and guidelines deficit

View the Becker's column by clicking here.

Need help developing and implementing an antibiotic stewardship program? Contact ICCS today!

ICCS Publishes Special Report on Impact of Cost Cutting on Infection Prevention

ICCS Founder Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, has published a new special report discussing the risks organizations take when they reduce investments in areas affecting patient safety and regulatory compliance.

The report acknowledges the importance of managing costs, and notes that tasks and services not associated with contributing to the bottom line are often targeted first for cuts.

The problem with such an approach to reducing expenses is that, as Segal says, ... "when these tasks and services concern patient safety and compliance with regulations, small financial gains are often wiped out and easily surpassed by the expenses associated with problems that develop down the road."

Such ramifications can include increasing infections, citations, fines, expenses to correct issues and declines in staff satisfaction.

Read the special report on infection prevention compliance.