"Super Bugs" hit "Prime Time"

 Last year I do believe someone at the World Health Organization claimed that Hospital Associated Infections(HAI), sooner than later, will be the demise of the modern hospital if nothing is done. I guess the national media here in the U.S.A. ran out of stuff so in 8 seconds of inspiration for the masses it is a headline for today anyway but them again, I think I heard it is on 60 minutes tonight as some form of profound new discovery!
Actually, this problem is accelerating due other factors in the U.S.A., not just antibiotics, due to all of the alternatives to our hospitals they now house once the very sick, patients unable to fight the infections.
O.K., I know little about healthcare but the whole “doom and gloom” never did much for me and it turns out I am not alone, stuck in a silo near you are the answers, some of them are pretty impressive and there is a way to share all of these known processes with all healthcare professionals in California by encouraging the California Department of Public Health(CDPH) to host some form of “Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of HAI”, here is the first one with a really impressive 7 years without a CenterLine Associated Bloodstream Infection(CLABIS)---
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6JbNIhubCg

The CDPH has a pretty good HAI resources section and getting better all the time

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/hai/Pages/default.aspx

If you have any “best practice” you think would be an asset send it here---

Jorge.Palacios@cdph.ca.gov

Here is a very promising program currently underway featuring collaboration between the University of California Medical System and Anthem Blue Cross—

http://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/news/2012/11/14/uc-anthem-blue-cross-health-care-focus.html

Even more, here is California’s “Let’s get healthy California” program—

http://www.chhs.ca.gov/Pages/HealthCalTaskforce.aspx

The good news is that the currently funded surveillance system at the CDPH, provided a single process for the prevention was practiced on a large scale, could be used to do P.D.C.A. (Plan, DO, Check, Action) rather than focus on penalizing poorly preforming facilities utilizing one of the thousands of indigenous processes responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually in the state of California!

ps: couple of more happy customers at the tree nursery courtisy U.S. Peace Corps! A friend, many years ago, told me of folklore, "only three things you can do will survive you, write a book, have a kid and plant a tree", pretty cool watching this stuff!

More culture from Africa, you rarely see a kid without a smile, not an Xbox in the place!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iK82NkybOk

Honorable California Assemblyman Achadjian!

 

January 24, 2013

 

The Honorable California Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian

35th Assembly District

1150 Osos Street #207

Sam Luis Obispo, CA 93401

 

Regarding: January 23, 2013 meeting

                   Advocacy for the Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections(HAI)

                   in our Veterans Hospitals with Ms. Vicki Janssen, District Director,

                                 35th California Assembly District

 

 

Dear Assemblyman Achadjian,

 

 Please allow me to humbly thank you for all that you do for the great state we live in, I really appreciate it.

 Thank you for the opportunity to present the interest of the advocacy for the prevention of HAI in our Veteran's Hospitals to Ms. Janssen. Due to the complexity of the current healthcare industry concerning the prevention of HAI it has taken a year and a half to get anywhere near a vision of an actionable position.

 The stunning aspect of our meeting was the in-depth appraisal of the evolution of my humble advocacy and a few very detailed talking points that could have only been raised by a professional who has followed every detail of my advocacy for some time.

 My presentation was somewhat challenged, this is the second presentation I have engaged in since the beginning, to leave the meeting with insight and clear direction was far beyond my expectation. Ms. Janssen's offer to collaborate with the Honorable California State Senator Monning's office regarding the prevention of HAI in general was very much appreciated and hopefully will help gain momentum in the Honorable California Governor Brown's "Let's get healthy California" impact on our state.

 From what I have learned there is a bright future in healthcare, my confidence comes from engaging professionals like Ms. Janssen, providing inspiration to continue to advocate for preventing fiscal waste and the tragic and needless harm done by HAI to not only our healthcare system but our Veteran's as well.

 Once again, "thank you"!

 

Respectfully,

 

Michael H. Slavinski                                http://h-a-i-5.blogspot.com

 

                                                                               continued on page 2

 

                                                                                                                                     

                                                                             Page 2    January 24, 2013

 

Honorable Governor Edmond G, Brown Jr,

The Great State of California

 

Honorable California Senator Ed Hernandez

Chair, California Health Committee

 

Honorable California Senator William Monning

 

Diana Dooly,

Secretary,

California Department of Health and Human Services

 

Ron Chapman, MD, MHA

Director,

California Department of Public Health

 

Pam Kehaly,

President,

Anthem Blue Cross

 

Sophie Harnage, RN

Clinical Manager of Infusion Services

Vascular Access Team at Sutter Roseville Medical Center

 

Staff, Anthem Blue Cross

 

 

 

“If we can improve the quality of care, that will translate into lower cost”, Anthem President Pam Kehaly said. “These are real dollars.”

The picture, judgement day a the tree nursury courtsy U.S. Peace Corps, the grant is in for next years crop and should be a legacy for one really proud U.C.R. grad!

 

Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections, "road trip"!

Vicky Janssen                                             January 23, 2013

District Director

Honorable California Assemblyman Achadjian

35th Assembly District

Thank you for your invitation to present my advocacy to prevent Healthcare Associated Infections(HAI) in our Veteran’s Hospital’s interest in the development of some form of "Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections" at the California Department of Public Health(CDPH).

The "need", California’s healthcare system is currently expensive and dangerous, HAI is a very large part of the expense and the cause of tens of thousands of serious injuries and deaths in California annually.

The "root cause", currently every healthcare facility in California is responsible to develop their own HAI prevention program and the catastrophic results are clearly stated in the currently funded surveillance system at the California Department of Public Health(CDPH). Due to the thousands of indigenous processes the surveillance system can do little more than identify and penalize poorly performing facilities. Training and turnover without some form of standard process is beyond my comprehension.

The "practical solution", adopt one proven process to be made available to all California healthcare facilities, hosted at the CDPH and covered by the freedom of information act, continually improved due to large scale implementation and feedback from the current surveillance system at the CDPH. The improved efficiencies of the participating healthcare facilities should encourage further participation.

Enclosed you will find a brief description of something close to a "Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of HAI" from the CDPH website, the inclusion of the process to prevent Centerline Associated Bloodstream Infections(CLABSI) that successfully prevented CLABSI for seven years is a significant step further in my opinion and should be the first "best practice" adapted be the State of California.

The inclusion of Anthem Blue Cross’s "Patient Safety First" program demonstrates the effective development and use of standardized processes on a large scale, now the University of California’s Medical system and Anthem Blue Cross have a plan to "collaborate" to further improve healthcare efficiencies and patient safety, "who will have access to these gains"?

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is awaiting and sometimes funding "best practices" being developed at the State level, the origin of the term "Best Practice" Funding is also available at the World Health Organization, their opinion "HAI will sooner than latter be the demise of the modern hospital"!

What to do? Could your office please deliver my request to the Honorable Governor Brown and corroborating information to the Honorable State Senator Monning and Honorable Governor Brown? "Let’s get healthy California" is a good start, California is far behind other states concerning the prevention of HAI, to help our Veteran’s, my advocacy will not breach the gates at the V.A. but good science will!

Michael H. Slavinski


The picture, Christmas with a U.S. Peace Corps kid, all hand made and a sory of their own1

 

 

CLABSI, first "Best Practice"

January 13, 2013

 

Honorable Edmond G. Brown

The Great State of California

c/o State Capitol, suite 1173

Sacramento, CA 95814

 

Regarding: Prevention of Centerline Associated Bloodstream Infections "Best Practice"

 

Dear Governor Brown,

 

The Advocacy for the Prevention of Hospital Associated Infections(HAI) in our Veteran's Hospitals has identified the California Department of Public Health(CDPH) as a key organization not only in the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act but also in my advocacy(hai-five) efforts to prevent HAI in our Veteran's Hospitals.

 Currently we are advocating for the development of  a "Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of HAI" to be maintained at the CDPH and covered be the freedom of information act. The CDPH has greatly expanded its efforts as a resource concerning the prevention of HAI but it has come to our attention that a process for the prevention of Centerline associated Bloodstream Infections(CLABSI) developed at Sutter Roseville Medical Center in Roseville CA has effectively prevented CLBASI for the past seven years making the process well suited for the first "Best Practice for the Prevention of HAI".

 Many of the findings of the "Let's get healthy California" taskforce add to the need for standardized, sustainable and trainable processes to significantly reduce healthcare costs in California in addition to preventing the needless loss of our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and Veterans.

 Healthcare facilities that choose to implement suggested "best practices" should operate more efficiently, pay less to their underwriters and be verified by our currently funded surveillance system for possible process improvement.

 Once again, thank you for all that you do for California, I really appreciate it!

 

Respectfully,

 

Michael H. Slavinski                            http://h-a-i-5.blogspot.com

                                                   Continued on page 2

 

 

 Page 2 Prevention of Catheter-Related Bloodstream Infections, Best Practice!

 

Honorable California Senator Ed Hernandez

Chair, California Senate Health Committee

 

Honorable California Senator William Monning

 

Honorable California Assemblymember Katcho Achadjian

 

Diana Dooly

Secretary,

California Department of Health and Human Services Agency

 

Ron Chapman, MD, MHA

Director,

California Department of Public Health

 

“Let’s get Healthy California” program

 

Pam Kehaly,

President, 

 Anthem Blue Cross

 

Sophie Harnage

Clinical Manager of Infusion Services

Vascular Access Team at Sutter Roseville Medical Center

 

Staff, Anthem Blue Cross

 

 

"If we can improve the quality of care, that will translate into lower cost," Anthem President Pam Kehaly said. "These are real dollars."

The picture, our kid is home for the holidays, she wants me to hang on to some disks, hard copies, no problem, I got enough here to keep this blog going for years!

UC medical + Anthem Blue Cross + CDPH + SHEA = Sustainable Progress

January 2.2013

Jan Patterson, MD, MS, FSHEA

President of the Board of Trustees

Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America

 

Re: Prevention of Healthcare Associated Infections in our Veteran’s Hospitals

 

Dear Dr. Patterson,

 Once again, please allow me to thank you and the entire staff at the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America(SHEA) for all that you do for patient safety. Your recent support as a resource for the Hospital Associated Infections(HAI) program at the California Department of Public Health(CDPH) marks a much needed first step in the creation of some form of “Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of HAI” to be accessible to all healthcare professionals not only in the state of California but worldwide in my opinion.

http://www.cdph.ca.gov/programs/hai/Pages/default.aspx

Your body of knowledge contained at SHEA is now available for the recent agreement between University of California and Anthem Blue Cross to develop improvements in healthcare efficiencies and patient safety. Added to the great efforts by the staff at the CDPH the program should move the entire healthcare community just that much closer to preventing HAI and preventing needless loss of life and suffering to our mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers and Veteran’s.

 With any luck and advocacy these gains will be posted at the CDPH and made available to all healthcare professionals to not only implement but to challenge and improve in my opinion. The development of a “Database of Best Practices for the Prevention of HAI” should yield a standardized process which will require a significant investment but could be the basis for training all healthcare professionals in the future, the return on investment would be exponential in most aspects, including my advocacy, preventing HAI in our Veteran’s Hospitals.

 Little do I know about the healthcare industry but over the past year I have learned a lot about the character of the professionals within allowing me the opportunity to offer my support to those who help others, much like you and the entire staff and membership at SHEA.

Sincerely,

Michael H. Slavinski                                                                   http://h-a-i-5.blogspot.com/

 

The picture, our kid came home for the holidays after one and a half years in the bush in the U,S. Peace corps, mom is pretty happy and I got some pretty cool handmade swag for presents, even a "Bolga Basket", I guess I am pretty happy as well, we got some kayaking done at Morro Bay over the weekend, not much of a shopper myself, the picture is actually at the mall on State Street in Santa Barbara.