The Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), with timely assistance from the Association
for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), is
developing a standards-based solution for transmission of
healthcare-associated infection (HAI) data from existing commercial
software systems to the agency's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).
The vendor-neutral solution enables hospitals to provide data already
collected using a commercial system to the federally-funded HAI
surveillance network. APIC helped launch CDC's work with vendors by hosting
project planning meetings in conjunction with the APIC Annual Conferences
in 2006 and 2007.
CDC's pilot project of the new solution in July and August, 2007 was
the first field test of the Health Level Seven Clinical Document
Architecture Release 2 (HL7 CDA R2) for public health reporting purposes.
Once additional testing and development work is completed, CDC plans to
integrate the CDA R2 solution for HAI reporting into its production
operations of NHSN. "This new use of data standards will make it possible
for hospitals to report crucial data to CDC using information technology
systems in which they have already invested," said Denise Cardo, M.D.,
Director of CDC's Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion.
In the pilot project, CDA R2 versions of NHSN's bloodstream infection
records were used by participating hospitals as the standard format for
transmitting infections data and denominator data needed to calculate
infection rates to CDC. Each hospital worked with a software system vendor
to report infections and denominator data in accordance with CDA R2
specifications and CDC reporting requirements.
CDC is working with Alschuler Associates, a consulting firm with
expertise in HL7 CDA, and a group of commercial HAI surveillance system
software vendors, to develop CDA R2 implementation guidance for HAI
reporting to NHSN. The six vendors that participated in the pilot project
are Cardinal Health MedMinedTM Services, EpiQuest, ICPA, Premier Inc.,
TheraDoc, and Vecna.
HL7 is moving toward adoption of the implementation guidance for CDA R2
for NHSN HAI Records, developed by CDC and Alschuler Associates, as a Draft
Standard for Trial Use. An initial release of the implementation guidance
was on the September 2007 HL7 ballot. An updated version of the guidance is
included in the January 2008 HL7 ballot.
APIC's mission is to improve health and patient safety by reducing
risks of infection and other adverse outcomes. The Association's more than
11,000 members have primary responsibility for infection prevention,
control and hospital epidemiology in health care settings around the globe.
APIC advances its mission through education, research, collaboration,
practice guidance, public policy, and credentialing. Visit APIC online at
apic
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology
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