ARTICLE 3.5. Hospital Infectious Disease Control Program [1288.45. - 1288.95.]

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC 3.5.

in effect

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.5. Section 1288.5.

(a) By July 1, 2007, the department shall appoint a Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee (HAI-AC) that shall make recommendations related to methods of reporting cases of hospital acquired infections occurring in general acute care hospitals, and shall make recommendations on the use of national guidelines and the public reporting of process measures for preventing the spread of HAI that are reported to the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1288.8. (b) The advisory committee shall include persons with expertise in the surveillance, prevention, and control of hospital-acquired infections, including department staff, local health department officials, health care infection control professionals, hospital administration professionals, health care providers, health care consumers, physicians with expertise in infectious disease and hospital epidemiology, and integrated health care systems experts or representatives. (c) The advisory committee shall meet at least every quarter and shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel-related expenses that include transportation, lodging, and meals at the state per diem reimbursement rate. (d) In addition to the responsibilities enumerated in subdivision (a), the advisory committee shall do all of the following: (1) Review and evaluate federal and state legislation, regulations, and accreditation standards and communicate to the department how hospital infection prevention and control programs will be impacted. (2) In accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 1288.6, recommend a method by which the number of infection prevention professionals would be assessed in each hospital. (3) Recommend an educational curriculum by which health facility evaluator nurses and department consultants would be trained to survey for hospital infection surveillance, prevention, and control programs. (4) Recommend a method by which hospitals are audited to determine the validity and reliability of data submitted to the NHSN and the department. (5) Recommend a standardized method by which an HAI occurring after hospital discharge would be identified. (6) Recommend a method by which risk-adjusted HAI data would be reported to the public, the Legislature, and the Governor. (7) Recommend a standardized method by which department health facility evaluator nurses and consultants would evaluate health care workers for compliance with infection prevention procedures including, but not limited to, hand hygiene and environmental sanitation procedures. (8) Recommend a method by which all hospital infection prevention professionals would be trained to use the NHSN HAI surveillance reporting system.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.6. Section 1288.6.

(a) (1) Each general acute care hospital, in collaboration with infection prevention and control professionals, and with the participation of senior health care facility leadership shall, as a component of its strategic plan, at least once every three years, prepare a written report that examines the hospital’s existing resources and evaluates the quality and effectiveness of the hospital’s infection surveillance and prevention program. (2) The report shall evaluate and include information on all of the following: (A) The risk and cost of the number of invasive patient procedures performed at the hospital. (B) The number of intensive care beds. (C) The number of emergency department visits to the hospital. (D) The number of outpatient visits by departments. (E) The number of licensed beds. (F) Employee health and occupational health measures implemented at the hospital. (G) Changing demographics of the community being served by the hospital. (H) An estimate of the need and recommendations for additional resources for infection prevention and control programs necessary to address the findings of the plan. (3) The report shall be updated annually, and shall be revised at regular intervals, if necessary, to accommodate technological advances and new information and findings contained in the triennial strategic plan with respect to improving disease surveillance and the prevention of HAI. (b) Each general acute care hospital that uses central venous catheters (CVCs) shall implement policies and procedures to prevent occurrences of health care associated infection, as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intravascular bloodstream infection guidelines or other evidence-based national guidelines, as recommended by the advisory committee. A general acute care hospital that uses CVCs shall internally report CVC associated blood stream infection rates in intensive care units, utilizing device days to calculate the rate for each type of intensive care unit, to the appropriate medical staff committee of the hospital on a regular basis.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.7. Section 1288.7.

By July 1, 2007, the department shall require that each general acute care hospital, in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control guidelines, take all of the following actions: (a) Annually offer onsite influenza vaccinations, if available, to all hospital employees at no cost to the employee. Each general acute care hospital shall require its employees to be vaccinated, or if the employee elects not to be vaccinated, to declare in writing that he or she has declined the vaccination. (b) Institute respiratory hygiene and cough etiquette protocols, develop and implement procedures for the isolation of patients with influenza, and adopt a seasonal influenza plan. (c) Revise an existing or develop a new disaster plan that includes a pandemic influenza component. The plan shall also document any actual or recommended collaboration with local, regional, and state public health agencies or officials in the event of an influenza pandemic.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.8. Section 1288.8.

(a) By January 1, 2008, the department shall take all of the following actions to protect against HAI in general acute care hospitals statewide: (1) Implement an HAI surveillance and prevention program designed to assess the department’s resource needs, educate health facility evaluator nurses in HAI, and educate department staff on methods of implementing recommendations for disease prevention. (2) Revise existing and adopt new administrative regulations, as necessary, to incorporate current federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines and standards for HAI prevention. (3) Require that general acute care hospitals develop a process for evaluating the judicious use of antibiotics, the results of which shall be monitored jointly by appropriate representatives and committees involved in quality improvement activities. (b) On and after January 1, 2008, each general acute care hospital shall implement and annually report to the department on its implementation of infection surveillance and infection prevention process measures that have been recommended by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, as suitable for a mandatory public reporting program. Initially, these process measures shall include the CDC guidelines for central line insertion practices, surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis, and influenza vaccination of patients and healthcare personnel. In consultation with the advisory committee, the department shall make this information public no later than six months after receiving the data. (c) The advisory committee shall make recommendations for phasing in the implementation and public reporting of additional process measures and outcome measures by January 1, 2008, and, in doing so, shall consider the measures recommended by the CDC. (d) Each general acute care hospital shall also submit data on implemented process measures to the National Healthcare Safety Network of the CDC, or to any other scientifically valid national HAI reporting system based upon the recommendation of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee or to another scientifically valid reporting database, as determined by the department based on the recommendations of the HAI-AC. Hospitals shall utilize the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions and methodology for surveillance of HAI. Hospitals participating in the California Hospital Assessment and Reporting Task Force (CHART) shall publicly report those HAI measures as agreed to by all CHART hospitals. (e) In addition to the requirements in subdivision (a), the department shall establish an infection surveillance, prevention, and control program to do all of the following: (1) Designate infection prevention professionals to serve as consultants to the licensing and certification program. (2) Provide education and training to department health facility evaluator nurses and consultants to effectively survey hospitals for compliance with infection surveillance, prevention, and control recommendations, as well as state and federal statutes and regulations. (3) By January 1, 2011, in consultation with the HAI-AC, develop a scientifically valid statewide electronic reporting system or utilize an existing scientifically valid database system capable of receiving electronically transmitted reports from hospitals related to HAI. (4) Provide current infection prevention and control information to the public on the Internet. (5) Beginning January 1, 2011, provide to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Chairs of the Senate Committee on Health and Assembly Committee on Health, and post on the department’s Web site, an annual report of publicly reported HAI infection information received and reported pursuant to this article.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.9. Section 1288.9.

By January 1, 2009, the department shall do all of the following: (a) Require each general acute care hospital to develop, implement, and periodically evaluate compliance with policies and procedures to prevent secondary surgical site infections (SSI). The results of this evaluation shall be monitored by the infection prevention committee and reported to the surgical committee of the hospital. (b) Require each general acute care hospital to develop policies and procedures to implement the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) process measures designed to prevent ventilator associated pneumonia. (c) During surveys, evaluate the facility’s compliance with existing policies and procedures to prevent HAI, including any externally or internally reported HAI process and outcome measures.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.45. Section 1288.45.

For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply: (a) “Advisory committee” or “HAI-AC” means the Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee established pursuant to Section 1288.5. (b) “Health-care-associated infection,” “health facility acquired infection,” or “HAI” means an infection defined by the National Health and Safety Network of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, unless the department adopts a definition consistent with the recommendations of the advisory committee or its successor. (c) “Hospital” means a general acute care hospital as defined pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 1250. (d) “Infection prevention professional” means a registered nurse, medical technologist, or other salaried employee or consultant who, within two years of appointment, will meet the education and experience requirements for certification established by the national Certification Board for Infection Control and Epidemiology (CBIC), but does not include a physician who is appointed or receives a stipend as the infection prevention and control committee chairperson or hospital epidemiologist. (e) “MRSA” means methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. (f) “National Healthcare Safety Network” or “NHSN” means a secure, Internet-based system developed and managed by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect, analyze, and report risk-adjusted HAI data related to the incidence of HAI and the process measures implemented to prevent these infections. (g) “Program” means the health care infection surveillance, prevention, and control program within the department.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.55. Section 1288.55.

(a) (1) Each health facility, as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 1255.8, shall quarterly report all cases of health-care-associated MRSA bloodstream infection, health-care-associated clostridium difficile infection, and health-care-associated Vancomycin-resistant enterococcal bloodstream infection, and the number of inpatient days. (2) Each health facility shall report quarterly to the department all central line associated bloodstream infections and the total central line days. (3) Each health facility shall report quarterly to the department all health-care-associated surgical site infections of deep or organ space surgical sites, health-care-associated infections of orthopedic surgical sites, cardiac surgical sites, and gastrointestinal surgical sites designated as clean and clean-contaminated, and the number of surgeries involving deep or organ space, and orthopedic, cardiac, and gastrointestinal surgeries designated clean and clean-contaminated. (b) The department’s licensing and certification program shall do all of the following: (1) Commencing January 1, 2011, post on the department’s Web site information regarding the incidence rate of health-care-acquired central line associated bloodstream infections acquired at each health facility in California, including information on the number of inpatient days. (2) Commencing January 1, 2012, post on the department’s Web site information regarding the incidence rate of deep or organ space surgical site infections, orthopedic, cardiac, and gastrointestinal surgical procedures designated as clean and clean-contaminated, acquired at each health facility in California, including information on the number of inpatient days. (3) No later than January 1, 2011, post on the department’s Web site information regarding the incidence rate of health-care-associated MRSA bloodstream infection, health-care-associated clostridium difficile infection, and health-care-associated Vancomycin-resistant enterococcal bloodstream infection, at each health facility in California, including information on the number of inpatient days. (c) Any information reported publicly as required under this section shall meet all of the following requirements: (1) The department shall follow a risk adjustment process that is consistent with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), or its successor, risk adjustment, and use its definitions, unless the department adopts, by regulation, a fair and equitable risk adjustment process that is consistent with the recommendations of the Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee (HAI-AC), established pursuant to Section 1288.5, or its successor. (2) For purposes of reporting, as required in subdivisions (a) and (b), an infection shall be reported using the NHSN definitions unless the department accepts the recommendation of the HAI-AC or its successor. (3) If the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention do not use a public reporting model for specific health-care-acquired infections, then the department shall base its public reporting of incidence rate on the number of inpatient days for infection reporting, or the number of specified device days for relevant device-related infections, and the number of specified surgeries conducted for surgical site infection reporting, unless the department adopts a public reporting model that is consistent with recommendations of the HAI-AC or its successor. (d) Health facilities that report data pursuant to the system shall report this data to the NHSN and the department, as appropriate.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.85. Section 1288.85.

Each general acute care hospital, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 1250, shall do all of the following by July 1, 2015: (a) Adopt and implement an antimicrobial stewardship policy in accordance with guidelines established by the federal government and professional organizations. This policy shall include a process to evaluate the judicious use of antibiotics in accordance with paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 1288.8. (b) Develop a physician supervised multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship committee, subcommittee, or workgroup. (c) Appoint to the physician supervised multidisciplinary antimicrobial stewardship committee, subcommittee, or workgroup, at least one physician or pharmacist who is knowledgeable about the subject of antimicrobial stewardship through prior training or attendance at continuing education programs, including programs offered by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, or similar recognized professional organizations. (d) Report antimicrobial stewardship program activities to each appropriate hospital committee undertaking clinical quality improvement activities.

Cal. Health and Safety Code - HSC § 1288.95. Section 1288.95.

(a) No later than January 1, 2010, a physician designated as a hospital epidemiologist or infection surveillance, prevention, and control committee chairperson shall participate in a continuing medical education (CME) training program offered by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Society for Healthcare Epidemiologists of America, or other recognized professional organization. The CME program shall be specific to infection surveillance, prevention, and control. Documentation of attendance shall be placed in the physician’s credentialing file. (b) Beginning January 2010, all staff and contract physicians and all other licensed independent contractors, including, but not limited to, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, shall be trained in methods to prevent transmission of HAI, including, but not limited to, MRSA and Clostridium difficile infection. (c) By January 2010, all permanent and temporary hospital employees and contractual staff, including students, shall be trained in hospital-specific infection prevention and control policies, including, but not limited to, hand hygiene, facility-specific isolation procedures, patient hygiene, and environmental sanitation procedures. The training shall be given annually and when new policies have been adopted by the infection surveillance, prevention, and control committee. (d) Environmental services staff shall be trained by the hospital and shall be observed for compliance with hospital sanitation measures. The training shall be given at the start of employment, when new prevention measures have been adopted, and annually thereafter. Cultures of the environment may be randomly obtained by the hospital to determine compliance with hospital sanitation procedures.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026