National Journal and APIC Host Policy Summit on Infection Prevention Best Practices

Today, in honor of International Infection Prevention Week (IIPW), National Journal LIVE and the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) are hosting "Spreading Success: Encouraging Best Practices in Infection Prevention." Keynote speaker, Don Wright, MD, MPH, deputy assistant secretary for Healthcare Quality, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will focus on how government agencies are helping to combat healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).

Timed to occur during the 25th anniversary of IIPW, the policy summit will be attended by more than 200 healthcare professionals, government officials, policy makers and patient advocates, who will explore the impact of healthcare reform efforts in boosting patient safety and quality improvement. It will also examine the unique role of the patient safety professionals known as infection preventionists and their role in implementing programs aimed at reducing or eliminating preventable HAIs.

"Collaboration among the many stakeholders in infection prevention is critical to advancing patient safety, and is why we organized todays forum," says Russell Olmsted, MPH, CIC, APIC 2011 president. "Our goal is the elimination of preventable healthcare-associated infections."

The keynote speaker of the event, Dr. Don Wright, leads the Office of Healthcare Quality within the HHS Office of the Secretary, Office of Public Health and Science, which developed the National Action Plan to Prevent HAIs.

Maggie Fox, managing editor of the National Journal, will moderate a panel of experts who will examine whether public attention, innovative tracking and monitoring programs, and financial incentives, such as value-based purchasing, can fuel continued improvement in combating these kinds of deadly infections. Panelists include:

- Denise Cardo, MD, director, Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

- Linda Greene, RN, MPS, CIC, director of Infection Prevention, Rochester General Health System

- Manoj Jain, MD, MPH, medical director, Tennessees Quality Improvement Organization

- Jonathan Perlin, MD, PhD, MSHA, FACP, FACMI, president, Clinical and Physician Services Group & chief medical officer, Hospital Corporation of America

- Jean Rexford, executive director, Connecticut Center for Patient Safety

A recording of this event will be available immediately following the summit at http://www.nationaljournal.com/events/event/65/

APICs 2011 IIPW efforts are made possible with support from the Signature Sponsor, 3M Health Care, in the form of an unrestricted educational grant..