Skip Navigation

Events

Current Events

The inaugural Partnership in Prevention Award, co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA), will be presented via webinar on October 15, 2012.

Registration is limited to the first 1,000 individuals who sign up. We encourage early registration to ensure a spot. Please consider gathering in one location to view with your colleagues.

Past Events

HHS-Critical Care Societies Collaborative (CCSC) Awards Recognize Achievements in Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections – 2012 Awards Recipients
Twelve recipients of the 2012 HHS-CCSC Awards to Recognize Achievements in Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections were announced at the 2012 American Association of Critical Care Nurses’ National Teaching Institute & Critical Care Exposition Exit disclaimer icon in Orlando, Florida. Read the press release. Exit disclaimer icon

2012 Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Data Summit
May 30-31, 2012
Kansas City, MO

The 2012 “Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) Data Summit” was conceptually conceived during the “Progress Toward Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections” meeting, held in September 2010, after several subject matter experts and members of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Steering Committee for the Prevention of HAIs expressed the importance of reassessing the strategies in the HAI Information Systems and Technology chapter in the National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections: Roadmap to Elimination.

The HAI Data Summit is a timely opportunity for public and private sector HAI prevention partners to review existing data sources and to discuss and make recommendations that focus on efforts underway or that are envisioned as ways to add efficiencies and enhance the value of the supply chain of HAI data. This supply chain originates with HAI data collection and reporting by healthcare facilities and produces outputs that are used by the facilities themselves for their own prevention purposes and for analysis, action, and public disclosure at higher geographic levels, such as the state or national level. View the presentations from the 2012 HAI Data Summit.

Stakeholder Call: Release of National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI): Roadmap to Elimination Media Opened for Public Comment
April 19, 2012
Washington, DC

Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Don Wright, led a stakeholder call with the Assistant Secretary for Health, Dr. Howard K. Koh and leaders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS).  Speakers provided updates on the recently revised “National Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associate Infections: Roadmap to Elimination” as well as HAI data showing marked progress in the reduction of HAIs since the initial (2009) Action Plan release.  HHS will receive public comments on the revised National Action Plan through June 25, 2012. Complete transcript of the call.

State-Level Partners Collaborating to Eliminate Healthcare-Associated Infections Meeting
September 15-16, 2011
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
OHQ hosted this meeting to promote collaboration and strategic alignment of programs and resources across state-level entities and share information regarding current and pending federal legislation/initiatives that may impact state-level prevention efforts. Additional goals were to share information regarding current and pending state-level legislation/initiatives that may impact national-level prevention efforts and identify tools needed at the state-level, in an era of limited funding, to achieve HAI reduction targets in the national and state action plans. View the presentations and a detailed summary of the meeting.

Focus Group on Essential Components for State HAI Efforts
September 14, 2011
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
OHQ held this half-day focus group to outline and prioritize the essential components of a state program to achieve HAI reduction targets within the context of lean resources. OHQ also sought to define what resources, infrastructure, and support are needed to effectively implement the programs. Participants from across the federal government, states, national stakeholders, professional organizations, consumers, payers and providers developed a prioritized list of thematic components which were presented and discussed at the State-Level Partners Collaborating to Eliminate HAIs meeting. View the focus group report.

Healthy People 2020: Healthcare-Associated Infections Webinar
August 16, 2011
The first event in the Healthy People 2020 webinar series focused on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). The webinar highlighted the importance of this public health issue, provided an overview of the related Healthy People 2020 objectives, and provided action steps that healthcare and public health professionals can take to prevent HAIs. View the webinar.

AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting
June 11-14, 2011
Seattle, Washington
OHQ sponsored the Quality Interest Meeting Presentation: Hospital Acquired Conditions at the 2011 Academy Health Annual Research Meeting.  Dr. Wright, Chair of the Panel Presentation, provided an update on the state of the Office of Healthcare Quality’s (OHQ) Healthcare-Associated Infections Initiative. Bernard S. Black, JD, MA, Chabraja Professor at Northwestern University Law School and Kellogg School of Management, followed with a presentation on his research findings, titled “Does Hospital Infection Reporting Affect Actual Infection Rates, Reported Rates, or Both? A Case Study of Pennsylvania.” 

Dr. Wright’s Academy Health Quality Interest Group Meeting presentation.

Dr. Wright also participated in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Project to Eliminate Health Care-Acquired Conditions Panel. During this session, he spoke about the development of the OHQ office, the HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections, various federal initiatives dealing with HAIs and future steps for the OHQ office.

Dr. Wright's HAI Panel presentation.

Health Care Quality Innovation Summit: Optimizing Value and Securing a Future of Innovation and Quality
May 11-13, 2011
Cleveland, Ohio
Dr. Don Wright presented at a session called “Defining Quality in Healthcare” along with representatives from the National Quality Forum, Consumers Advancing Patient Safety and USA Today. The presenters discussed the current activities in defining, encouraging, and advocating for better healthcare quality. Dr. Wright spoke to the current initiatives being conducted at HHS to encourage better healthcare quality, specifically surrounding the topic of HAIs. He also identified achievements being made around the country in the prevention and reduction of HAIs by recipients of the HHS-Critical Care Societies Collaborative National Awards Program to Recognize Achievements in Eliminating HAIs.

Dr. Wright's Defining Quality in Healthcare presentation.

QualityNet Conference
November 30 – December 2, 2010
Baltimore, Maryland
Dr. Steve Solomon participated on a panel, "Agencies Get the Chair on Healthcare-Associated Infections" along with representatives from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Panelists discussed HAI activities and coordination efforts across agencies and with stakeholders.

Accelerating Healthcare-Associated Infection Elimination: Health System, Hospital, and Government Leadership Collaboration
October 2010
The webinar addressed opportunities for dramatically reducing HAIS through collaboration and leadership of health systems, hospitals, and government organizations. Speakers include leaders from HHS and hospital leaders of the Texas Medical Institute of Technology "Greenlight Program," which develops leadership decision-support investment models that address clinical, operational, and financial performance. Presentations and the webinar are archived online.

HAI Recovery Act Grantee Meeting
October 2010
Atlanta, Georgia
OHQ co-sponsored a two-day meeting with CDC to address HAI prevention at the state and regional level. Participants included State HAI Coordinators from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico along with representatives from federal agencies, academic institutions and professional organizations. Dr. Steven Solomon led a panel with representatives from those working in HAI prevention including Dr. Dale Bratlzer, Dr. Marion Kainer and Dr. Sam Watson, summarizing the national-level conversation at the September meeting Progress Toward Elimination of Healthcare-Associated Infections and discussing the connections for those working at HAI prevention at the state level. Rani Jeeva led a panel to present the 2010 HAI Regional Projects, encouraging participation and coordination from State HAI Coordinators.

Regional Project Presentations are available at the following links: 2010 HAI Regional Project Introduction and Overview, Region III Regional Project Presentation and Region IX Regional Project Presentation. For additional resources for HAI prevention at the state level, please see Resources for State Partners in HAI Elimination. Please see our page for additional information on OHQ HAI activities at the state and regional level.

Public Health Collaboration Models for Infection Prevention in Licensed Healthcare Settings: A Focus on Ambulatory Surgical Centers
October 20, 2010
Atlanta, GA
OHQ in conjunction with CDC hosted a meeting to discuss HAI prevention needs and ongoing activities in ambulatory surgical centers, or ASCs. The meeting objectives were to identify novel approaches and best practices for collaboration regarding the promotion of infection control training and HAI prevention, surveillance, and oversight activities in ASCs and other licensed healthcare settings. Participants included representatives from OHQ, CMS, state health departments, state survey agencies, and quality improvement organizations. Discussions centered on improving the inspection process and using inspection data for action, current and planned educational outreach, and identifying areas for improved stakeholder collaboration. View an expanded summary.

Progress Toward Eliminating Healthcare-Associated Infections
September 2010
Arlington, Virginia
At this meeting, subject matter experts gathered to discuss the prevention of healthcare-associated infections, with a focus on accelerating efforts. The meeting also served to gather input on expanding the HHS’ efforts to prevent and eliminate HAIs to the outpatient setting, specifically, ambulatory surgical centers and end-stage renal disease facilities. In addition, participants discussed prevention of ventilator-associated pneumonia among patients in acute-care hospitals. The meeting report summarizes the meeting’s events, and the plenary session presentations are also available.