Automated SafetySurveillor system to detect healthcare-associated infections

The Premier healthcare alliance today announced that Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center of Midlothian, Va., selected Premier’s SafetySurveillor^® Web-based infection tracking and antimicrobial utilization tool. More than 270 hospitals use SafetySurveillor to help prevent healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) and optimize antibiotic use, thereby protecting patients more effectively while safely reducing hospital costs.

“We chose Premier for its strong infection prevention expertise and we believe this solution will help facilitate our goal to reduce HAIs,” said Mark Gordon executive vice president and administrator of St. Francis Medical Center. “St. Francis has a strong commitment to quality improvement and cost reduction and we are excited to work with Premier.”

According to Premier's Scott D. Pope, Pharm.D., SafetySurveillor national director, “SafetySurveillor is a technology infection preventionists have relied upon for nearly a decade to increase their efficiency, reduce infection rates and automate surveillance efforts. With application in both Infection Control and Pharmacy, it also allows pharmacists to obtain precise alerts and reports on suboptimal antimicrobial utilization to help improve outcomes, reducing length of stay and associated costs.”

SafetySurveillor also helps hospitals meet state-mandated public reporting of certain HAIs, including screening for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile, some of the most common and harmful infections found in hospitals today. With the automated SafetySurveillor system, hospitals can detect HAIs, alert staff and facilitate timely intervention to reduce and prevent infections.

Premier is one of the HAI surveillance system software vendors participating in a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention project to develop a standards-based solution for transmission of HAI data from hospitals using existing commercial software systems to the agency's National Healthcare Safety Network.

SafetySurveillor is a part of Premier’s SafetyConnect™ program, a comprehensive, integrated product and service offering aimed at addressing the pressing safety and infection-related challenges facing healthcare organizations today.