BIll Would Require MRSA Screening and Management in Maine Hospitals and Nursing Homes

Meg Haskell of the Bangor Daily News is reporting on new legislation in Maine that would require all hospitals and nursing homes in Maine to screen high-risk patients for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus  (MRSA)upon admission. If nasal cultures detected MRSA, patients would be isolated and staff and visitors would be required to observe contact precautions.

The bill from Rep. Adam Goode defines high-risk patients include those who are admitted from another hospital or nursing facility or who have been discharged from a hospital or nursing facility within one year; are admitted to the hospital intensive care unit; receive renal dialysis for kidney failure; have open lesions that appear to be infected; are admitted for joint replacement or cardiac surgery; or are admitted from a correctional facility.

In addition to MRSA screening and management, the bill would require hospitals to report MRSA data to the CDC's National Health Safety Network. Information on the prevalence of other drug-resistant organisms, such as Clostridium difficile, also would be collected and made public.

To read further from the Bangor Daily News, CLICK HERE.