Alabama Administrative Code
Title 420 - ALABAMA STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
Chapter 420-4-5 - HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS REPORTING
Section 420-4-5-.01 - Definitions And Acronyms

(a) "Accuracy" means the correctness of data reported about Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) submitted to the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) according to standards recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

(b) "ADPH" means the Alabama Department of Public Health, Bureau of Communicable Disease, Division of Epidemiology, HAI Branch: The RSA Tower, 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery, Alabama 36104, P.O. Box 303017, Montgomery, Alabama 36130-3017.

(c) "Advisory Council" means the Healthcare Data Advisory Council as referenced in Code of Ala. 1975, § 22-11A-118.

(d) "Board" means the State Board of Health.

(e) "CAUTI" means Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection.

(f) "CDC" means the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

(g) "CLABSI" means Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection.

(h) "Critical Care Unit" means a care area that provides intensive observation, diagnosis, and therapeutic procedures for adults or children or both, or neonatal patients, who are critically ill. "Critical Care" and "Intensive Care" are used interchangeably. Care areas that provide step-down, intermediate care, or telemetry only, and specialty care areas are excluded.

(i) "Data" means patient information submitted by healthcare facilities to carry out the requirements of the Mike Denton Infection Reporting Act, Code of Ala. 1975, § 22-11A-110, et seq.

(j) "Electronic Data Submission" means transferring data from a computer used by a reporting entity to the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN).

(k) "General Care Ward" means a multidisciplinary care area that provides moderate observation, diagnosis, and therapeutic procedures for adults or children or both who are ill.

(l) "Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI)" means a localized or systemic condition that results from adverse reaction to the presence of an infectious agent or agents or its toxins, and that was not present or incubating at the time of admission to the healthcare facility. The terms "Health Care Facility Acquired Infection" and "Healthcare-Associated Infection" are synonymous as used in these rules.

(m) "Healthcare Facility" means general, critical access, and specialized hospitals, including pediatric hospitals but excluding psychiatric, rehabilitation, long-term care, and eye hospitals, licensed pursuant to Code of Ala. 1975, § 22-21-20.

(n) "Mixed Acuity Ward" means a hospital area for the evaluation and treatment of adult patients whose conditions are of varying levels of acuity (e.g., critical care, ward-level care, step down type care, etc.). Such a care area may be comprised of patients followed by different hospital services (e.g., coronary, medical, surgical, etc.). This care area may or may not include "acuity adaptable" or "universal" beds (i.e., this model of patient care allows a patient to stay in the same bed during all phases of his care, from critical care through lower levels of care).

(0) "Mixed Age, Mixed Acuity Ward" means a hospital area for the evaluation and treatment of a mixture of adult and pediatric patients whose conditions are of varying levels of acuity (e.g., critical care, ward-level care, step down type care, etc.). Such a care area may be comprised of patients followed by different hospital services (e.g., coronary, medical, surgical, etc.). This care area may or may not include "acuity adaptable" or "universal" beds (i.e., this model of patient care allows a patient to stay in the same bed during all phases of his care, from critical care through lower levels of care).

(p) "NHSN" means the National Healthcare Safety Network, the electronic system developed by the CDC used to capture HAI data.

(q) "Risk Adjusted" means a process used to identify and adjust for variation in patient HAI outcomes which stem from differences in patient characteristics across healthcare organizations. Risk adjustment accounts for patient-related attributes, such as age, gender, and pre-existing conditions.

(r) "SSI" means Surgical Site Infection.

(s) "Validate" means to evaluate the quality and accuracy of patient information submitted by a healthcare facility to ensure consistency across reporting facilities.