Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Web site released 2006 surgical infection data for all hospitals for the first time. Currently, data are reported for one category of HAIs, referred to as central line-associated bloodstream (CLAB) infections. In the near future, data on infections related to surgical procedures and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) – pneumonia related to the use of artificial breathing machines will be added. This data will be updated every 3 months.
In Missouri, hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) are required by state law and regulation to report selected HAI data. The reported infection data are available, by facility, on the DHSS Web site (http://www.dhss.mo.gov/HAI/).
The Missouri legislature passed Senate Bill 1279, which establishes the “Missouri Nosocomial Infection Reporting Act of 2004” which seeks to decrease the incidence of infections within healthcare facilities in Missouri. It requires hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers to report specific healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). This law also requires DHSS to report this information to the public.