(1) (a) A health facility specified by the department shall collect data on health-care-associated infection rates for specific clinical procedures and health-care-associated infections as determined by the department.
(b) The advisory committee may define criteria to determine when data on a
procedure or health-care-associated infection described in paragraph (a) of this
subsection (1) shall be collected.
(c) An individual who collects data on health-care-associated infection rates
shall take the test for the appropriate national certification for infection control and
become certified within six months after the individual becomes eligible to take the
certification test, as recommended by the Certification Board of Infection Control
and Epidemiology, Inc., or its successor. Mandatory national certification
requirements shall not apply to individuals collecting data on health-care-associated infections in hospitals licensed for fifty beds or less, licensed
ambulatory surgical centers, licensed dialysis treatment centers, licensed long-term care facilities, and other licensed or certified health facilities specified by the
department. Qualifications for these individuals may be met through ongoing
education, training, experience, or certification, as defined by the department.
(2) Each health-care provider who performs a clinical procedure subject to
data collection as determined by the department pursuant to subsection (1) of this
section shall report to the health facility at which the clinical procedure was
performed a health-care-associated infection that the health-care provider
diagnoses at a follow-up appointment with the patient using standardized criteria
and methods consistent with guidelines determined by the advisory committee. The
reports made to the health facility under this subsection (2) shall be included in the
reporting the health facility makes under subsection (3) of this section.
(3) (a) A health facility shall routinely submit its health-care-associated
infection data to the national healthcare safety network in accordance with national
healthcare safety network requirements and procedures. The data submissions
shall begin on or before July 31, 2007, and continue thereafter.
(b) If a health facility is a division or subsidiary of another entity that owns or
operates other health facilities or related organizations, the data submissions
required under this part 6 shall be for the specific division or subsidiary and not for
the other entity.
(c) Health facilities shall authorize the department to have access to health-facility-specific data contained in the national healthcare safety network database
consistent with the requirements of this part 6.
(4) (a) The executive director of the department shall appoint an advisory
committee. The advisory committee shall consist of:
(I) One representative from an urban hospital;
(II) One representative from a rural hospital;
(III) One board-certified or board-eligible physician licensed in the state of
Colorado, who is affiliated with a Colorado hospital or medical school, who is an
active member of a national organization specializing in health-care epidemiology
or infection control, and who has demonstrated an interest and expertise in health
facility infection control;
(IV) Four infection control practitioners as follows:
(A) One from a stand-alone ambulatory surgical center;
(B) One health-care professional certified by the Certification Board of
Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc., or its successor;
(C) One from a long-term care setting; and
(D) One other health-care professional.
(V) Either one medical statistician with an advanced degree in such specialty
or one clinical microbiologist with an advanced degree in such specialty;
(VI) One representative from a health consumer organization;
(VII) One representative from a health insurer; and
(VIII) One representative from a purchaser of health insurance.
(b) The advisory committee shall assist the department in development of
the department's oversight of this article and the department's methodology for
disclosing the information collected under this part 6, including the methods and
means for release and dissemination.
(c) The department and the advisory committee shall evaluate on a regular
basis the quality and accuracy of health-facility information reported under this
part 6 and the data collection, analysis, and dissemination methodologies.
(d) The advisory committee shall elect a chair of the advisory committee
annually. The advisory committee shall meet no less than four times per year in its
first year of existence and no less than two times in each subsequent year. The
chair shall set the meeting dates and times. The members of the advisory
committee shall serve without compensation.
(5) (a) The advisory committee shall recommend additional clinical
procedures based upon the criteria set forth in paragraph (c) of this subsection (5)
and other health-care-associated infections that must be reported pursuant to
subsection (1) of this section. The recommendations of the advisory committee must
be consistent with information that may be collected by the national healthcare
safety network.
(b) Repealed.
(c) In making its recommendations under paragraph (a) of this subsection (5),
the advisory committee shall recommend clinical procedures and other health-care-associated infections to monitor and report, using the following
considerations:
(I) Whether the procedure contains a high risk for infection contraction;
(II) Whether the type or types of infection present a serious risk to the
patient's health or life; and
(III) Any other factors determined by the advisory committee.
(d) Repealed.
(6) The advisory committee may recommend that health facilities report
process measures to the advisory committee, in addition to those listed in
subsections (1) and (5) of this section, to accommodate best practices for effective
prevention of infection.
(7) Repealed.