A Hospital-Acquired Infection (HAI) is an infection acquired as a result of treatment in a hospital. In accordance with Public Health Law 2819, New York State (NYS) has been tracking HAI's since 2007. This law was created to provide the public with fair, accurate and reliable HAI data to compare hospital infection rates, and to support quality improvement and infection prevention activities in hospitals.

 

Hospitals report to NYS using CDC's National Health care Safety Network (NHSN). This online system allows hospitals, NYS and CDC to concurrently monitor the same data. The NSHN has become the standard for reporting in the US, with 22 states using the NSHN for mandatory reporting. All states follow the same surveillance methods. Additional information about the NHSN can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/nhsn.

 

NHSDOH evaluates which HAI indicators should be reported annually with the help of a Technical Advisory Workgroup, a panel of experts in the prevention and reporting of HAI's.

In 2007, hospitals were required to report central line-associated blood stream infections in intensive care units, and surgical site infections (SSI) following colon and coronary artery bypass graft surgeries.

In 2008, hip SSI's were added. In March of 2009, CDC's NHSN introduced a new Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) reporting protocol.

In July 2009 as part of a pilot phase, NY was the first state to require hospitals to begin reporting C. difficile using the new NHSN protocol. The six month pilot phase was designed to validate the new reporting protocol prior to reporting 2010 hospital rates. Hospital C. difficile rates are included for the first time in this 2010 report. NY is the first state to publish validated C. difficile rates using the new NHSN C. difficile reporting protocol. Hospitals will be required to report abdominal hysterectomy procedures and SSI's beginning January 1, 2012.

 

This report, as well as reports from previous years is available on their website at: http://www.health.ny.gov/statistics/hospital/

 

 

 

 

By Kimberly Hayes Taylor

The American Journal of Cardiology November 2011

 

New York (Reuters Health)- In people with low levels of Vitamin D, boosting them with supplements more than halved the persons risk of dying from any cause compared to someone who remained deficient. In a large new study at the University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center, Dr. James L. Vacek and his team reviewed data from 10,899 adults whose Vitamin D levels had been tested and found that more than 70% of the patients were below 30 ng/ml, the level many experts consider sufficient for good health.

 

After taking into account the patient's medical history, medications and other factors, the cardiologists found that people with deficient levels of Vitamin D were more than twice as likely to have diabetes, 40% more likely to have high blood pressure and about 30% more likely to suffer from cardiomyopathy--a diseased heart muscle--as people without Vitamin D deficiency.

(Vitamin D deficiency has an increased risk of developing cancer.)

 

Overall, those who were deficient in D had a three-fold higher likelihood of dying from any cause than those who weren't deficient.

The study does not prove that Vitamin D is the cause of the effects seen--other factors, like disease, could be responsible both for the difference in health and the differences in Vitamin D levels.

 

Vacek said he believes so many people are deficient because we should get about 90% of our Vitamin D from the sun and only about 10% from our food.

The human body makes Vitamin D in response to skin exposure to sunlight. Certain foods, like oily fish, eggs and enriched milk products are also good sources of D.

 

Adults should consider getting their Vitamin D levels checked through a simple blood test, Vacek said, and take Vitamin D supplements. Normal Vitamin D levels are 30.0-74.0 ng/ml, lower than normal suggests Vitamin D deficiency.

"If you're not deficient, Vitamin D is not a magic pill that will make you live longer," Vacek said. "Its benefit is in people who are deficient. If you're low, it makes sense to be put on replacement therapy and have a follow-up a couple of months later to make sure your levels come up."

 

 

Yaz birth control and Yasmin Birth Control are oral contraceptives manufactured by Bayer health care Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

On December 8, 2011, the FDA voted 21 to 5 that labeling on Yaz and Yasmin is inadequate and should be updated to include information from several studies that suggest a higher risk of blood clots associated with birth control.