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Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, Minn., stands out among its peers. The 271-bed hospital, part of Allina Hospitals and Clinics, has nearly wiped out cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) among its intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Multidisciplinary teamwork is especially critical as hospitals are increasingly following evidence-based practices and care improvement campaigns.

The oncology unit at Seton Medical Center Austin, located in Austin, Texas, a member of Ascension Health, has achieved remarkable results reducing central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs).  Since 2008, CLABSIs have decreased by 65 percent; the combined central venous catheter (CVC) infection rates have plummeted to lower than the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) pooled mean; the units rate for combined line types (tunneled and non-tunneled catheters) is 1.1 per 1,000 line days, versus CDC NHSNs pooled means of 1.9 per 1,000 for non-tunneled and 3.2 per 1,000 for tunneled catheters. Setons low rate is all the more significant since it represents infections among high-risk cancer patients. Infection Control Today talked to Sandra Miller, MHSM, RN, NE-BC, director of oncology, pulmonary and renal services at Seton Austin, to learn more about this achievement.