Cases of the drug-resistant bacteria carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae increased fivefold in community hospitals in the southeastern United States from 2008 to 2012, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Although there are plenty of best practices for hand hygiene in healthcare settings, there are also "worst practices" that should not become routine.

When it comes to lapses in hand hygiene protocol, the contaminated fingers are often pointed at healthcare professionals.

In a July 15 webinar hosted by Surgical Directions, the consulting firm's president and CEO Jeff Peters discussed how hospitals can compete with ambulatory surgery centers in their markets for physicians and case volume.

The National Hand Hygiene Initiative in Australia was associated with reduced infection rates in most states in which it was tested, according to a study published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology.

Infection control workers at UPMC Presbyterian in Pittsburgh have discovered the presence of Legionella bacteria in three patient rooms' sinks, according to a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review report.

  Newly released expert guidance on hand hygiene in healthcare facilities, published in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, emphasizes best practices for implementing and optimizing hand hygiene programs to reduce the spread of healthcare-associated infections.

In Dallas, a patient can pay up to 23 times more than necessary for a lipid panel, according to a recent study by Castlight Health, a leading provider of enterprise healthcare cloud software.

HHS has recognized more than 400 hospitals and transplant centers for their voluntary efforts to promote organ donation as part of phase three for the Workplace Partnership for Life Hospital Organ Donation Campaign.

HHS announced $11 million is available to support the integration of high-quality HIV services into primary care through partnerships between health centers and state health departments in Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York.