Cedars-Sinai Earns State's Highest Ranking
Cedars-Sinai has earned the highest ranking from the state for its ability to prevent four types of infections commonly contracted in healthcare settings. The medical center is one of only two hospitals in California to achieve this accomplishment for 2017.
Cedars-Sinai was rated "better than the national baseline" for the number of infections it had last year in the following categories: surgical site infections from gastric surgery; bloodstream infections associated with central lines (central venous catheters); bloodstream infections caused by MRSA; and Clostridium difficile infections.
The California Department of Public Health publishes these ratings annually using data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitals can reduce the infections tracked in this report by implementing a variety of safeguards that can greatly improve patient safety and outcomes.
"These positive ratings reflect the engagement and collaboration at Cedars-Sinai among our care providers, including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, lab scientists, environmental services staff and many other disciplines to tackle very challenging hospital-acquired infections," said Jonathan Grein, MD, medical director, Department of Hospital Epidemiology, and infection control officer. "It represents our commitment to patient safety and improving patient outcomes."
The medical center received lower ratings for other measures related to bloodstream infections that are resistant to a type of antibiotic and for surgical site infections associated with certain surgical procedures.
That's not unusual for a hospital that provides highly specialized care and treats an older population with complex health problems, said Rekha Murthy, MD, vice president, Medical Affairs, and acting chief medical officer.
She focuses instead on Cedars-Sinai's sustained commitment to battling healthcare-associated infections.
"We have a rigorous infection prevention program that's been in place for some time, and we continue to make gains by focusing on sustaining our gains and new initiatives such as antibiotic stewardship," Murthy said. "Our staff does everything they can to promote patient safety and deliver the highest quality care."
The data is posted on the California Department of Public Health’s website.