After CMS completed a Nov. 2010 inspection at University Hospital in Columbia, Mo., the hospital publicly posted CMS' findings on the hospital's noncompliance to infection control and housekeeping standards, according to a Columbia Tribune news report.
Among CMS' long list of deficiencies, specific citations included "residue and debris on sterile instruments in sterile surgical containers." In addition, a device which contained bloody abdominal drainage was put in a trash bin without emptying out the contents properly, and "dirt, food crumbs and dust blackened the corners, borders and tile rout" in a hospital kitchen.
The CMS report also included one incident where a hospital technician, who was washing used surgical instruments with gloves, opened a door and answered a phone without removing his own gloves. The CMS citations are very similar to an FDA inspection that took place at the hospital two years earlier. Most strikingly, the FDA citations included observations suggesting the hospital reprocessed single-use devices, according to the report.
Hospital officials, who disputed the FDA report, are disagreeing with many citations in the CMS report and defending the hospital's focus on quality improvement efforts and patient outcomes. "[CMS and the FDA] themselves did not indicate any patient was at imminent risk," said Carey Smith, MU Health manager of regulatory affairs. Despite their disagreement, the hospital has taken corrective action that included a weekend-long deep-cleaning, according to the report.
Read the news report about MU Health's CMS and FDA inspections.
Read other coverage about hospital infection control:
- Pennsylvania Hospital Infections Tied to Readmissions
- Hospitals Start to Prohibit Surgical Attire From Being Worn Outside
Among CMS' long list of deficiencies, specific citations included "residue and debris on sterile instruments in sterile surgical containers." In addition, a device which contained bloody abdominal drainage was put in a trash bin without emptying out the contents properly, and "dirt, food crumbs and dust blackened the corners, borders and tile rout" in a hospital kitchen.
The CMS report also included one incident where a hospital technician, who was washing used surgical instruments with gloves, opened a door and answered a phone without removing his own gloves. The CMS citations are very similar to an FDA inspection that took place at the hospital two years earlier. Most strikingly, the FDA citations included observations suggesting the hospital reprocessed single-use devices, according to the report.
Hospital officials, who disputed the FDA report, are disagreeing with many citations in the CMS report and defending the hospital's focus on quality improvement efforts and patient outcomes. "[CMS and the FDA] themselves did not indicate any patient was at imminent risk," said Carey Smith, MU Health manager of regulatory affairs. Despite their disagreement, the hospital has taken corrective action that included a weekend-long deep-cleaning, according to the report.
Read the news report about MU Health's CMS and FDA inspections.
Read other coverage about hospital infection control:
- Pennsylvania Hospital Infections Tied to Readmissions
- Hospitals Start to Prohibit Surgical Attire From Being Worn Outside
