Carle Hospital and Physician Group, based in Urbana, Ill., has deployed ICNet, the leading automated infection surveillance system, which monitors an array of clinical data streams and provides real-time alerts that allow infection prevention teams to identify affected patients more quickly and avert potential disease transmission.
ICNet, serving more than 1,000 hospitals globally including a growing number in North America has also provided Carles 345-bed hospital and multiple regional clinics with a pharmacy module that interfaces with the health systems electronic medical record system to ensure appropriate prescribing of antibiotics, detect and prevent adverse drug events, and provide more accurate and powerful reports on a wide range of quality-of-care metrics.
We are proud to be able to bring our infection prevention and antimicrobial stewardship solutions to a healthcare provider with as strong a reputation for clinical excellence as Carle, says Adam Boris, ICNet Systems CEO. Implementing electronic surveillance is ever more important to achieve top-quartile performance in patient safety metrics to ensure maximum reimbursement from Medicare and provide meaningful improvement in national hospital quality scores.
We wanted an automated surveillance system that could take multiple data feeds, including device data, vital signs and lab results, bring these processes into a single system, and provide us with much more flexible reporting and alerting capability than we have had to date, says Daniel Bronson-Lowe, PhD, CIC, senior infection preventionist at Carle.
By filtering data and reducing the need for manual identification of potential infections, the software will allow Carles infection preventionists to spend more time improving care processes and working with staff, Bronson-Lowe says. ICNet will also be invaluable to us in reporting surgical data to state and federal agencies. It would be very difficult for an organization of our size to do that manually.
The system has been of particular value already in alerting staff to multiple-drug-resistant organisms (MDROs) such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, he said. The rise of MDROs in hospitals and other care settings is one reason that the federal government has stepped up reporting of infection data and prohibited reimbursements to treat healthcare-associated infections.
COVID-19 Harmonization: Balancing Risks and Benefits of CDC's Latest Move
March 11th 2024The CDC's recent decision to align recommendations for respiratory viruses, particularly COVID-19, has garnered support from the public and infectious disease societies. However, as the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) lends its backing to the CDC's harmonization efforts, concerns persist regarding the implications of this shift, especially considering the Omicron variant's unique characteristics and the ongoing challenges posed by COVID-19's multi-system impacts.
Voices of Resilience: Q&A With the Editor of "Corona City: Voices From an Epicenter"
March 1st 2024Step into the diverse and poignant world of "Corona City: Voices From an Epicenter" with editor Lorraine Ash, MA. In this insightful Q&A, learn about the origins of this remarkable anthology, the challenges faced in capturing raw, unfiltered narratives of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the lasting impact of these stories on readers and communities alike.
Rare Disease Day 2024: Spotlight on Rare Infectious Diseases
February 29th 2024Rare Disease Day on February 29, 2024, shines a global light on the impact of rare diseases, including rare infectious diseases. With a focus on early diagnosis and treatment access, this day highlights the struggles of those with rare conditions.
COVID-19 Realities: Beyond a Respiratory Virus, Addressing Optimism in Pandemic Management
February 28th 2024A recent commentary by Dr. Amesh Adalja in MedPage Today challenges the perception of COVID-19 as solely a respiratory virus, highlighting its broader impact on the body. This analysis questions the notion that COVID-19 should be managed like common respiratory infections, urging a closer look at vaccine effectiveness, the rise of long COVID, and the need for enhanced measures to curb the virus's spread. Let's explore the complexities of COVID-19 management and the pressing realities faced by the US and the world.