Initiative To Eliminate Bloodstream Infections

NHA Initiative to Eliminate Blood Stream Infections (BSI) - On the CUSP: Stop BSI

Program Description
Given the importance of preventing Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) for improving patient safety and reducing health care costs, under the leadership of NHA and HealthInsight, 17 Nevada hospitals are participating in the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP), a national collaborative designed to incorporate an ongoing evidence-based patient safety infrastructure into a hospital unit.

The key project goal is to reduce central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSI) in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) and non-ICU units across the nation to less than 1 per 1000 catheter days over two years. A central line is a catheter that ends in large vessels going into the heart so clinicians can more closely monitor patients and administer medication.

This project seeks to replicate the success of Michigan Hospital & Health System's Keystone Centers two-year collaborative to reduce the incidence of CLABSI, using the Comprehensive Unit Based Safety Program (CUSP) and CLABSI reduction protocols developed by Peter Pronovost, MD, PhD, and others at Johns Hopkins University. Michigan hospitals have nearly eliminated CLABSIs in 103 intensive care units and have sustained these gains for four years.

Benefits of Participating in the Program
By participating in this project, Nevada hospitals have access to education, strategies, benchmarks, and lessons learned from hospitals throughout the U.S. which are dedicated to eliminating CLABSIs.

To date, NHA participating hospitals are:
  • Centennial Hills Hospital Medical Center
  • Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center
  • Desert View Hospital
  • HealthSouth Hospital of Tenaya
  • Northern Nevada Medical Center
  • North Vista Hospital
  • Nye Regional Medical Center
  • Renown Regional Medical Center
  • Renown South Meadows Medical Center
  • Southern Hills Hospital & Medical Center
  • Spring Valley Hospital Medical Center
  • Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center
  • Summerlin Hospital Medical Center
  • Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center
  • Tahoe Pacific Hospitals
  • University Medical Center of Southern Nevada
  • Valley Hospital Medical Center

Thanks to grant funding awarded to NHA from both the Nevada Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance (BHCQC) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), there is no charge for hospital teams to participate. Each participating hospital will learn how to apply the CUSP program and CLABSI reduction tools, receive tools for measuring CLABSI and safety culture in units, and receive ongoing support from expert faculty.

For more information or to join the list of participating hospitals, contact Marissa Brown, NHA’s Workforce and Clinical Services Director, at 775-827-0184 or cuspinfo@nvha.net.