Impact of ICAR Consultation on Citation Frequency in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Session Description: The rise in infections and asymptomatic colonization of multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), including Candida auris, in the United States highlights the importance of strong infection control programs in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Without proper policies and procedures, SNFs are vulnerable for disease outbreaks which can have substantial morbidity and mortality due to their immunosuppressed population.

To help maximize infection control programs in SNFs, the Washington State Department of Health's (WA DOH) Infection Preventionists (IPs) provide infection control and assessment response (ICAR) consultations to SNFs throughout the state. During these non-regulatory visits, the designated IP collaborates with facility staff in reviewing the facility's infection prevention policies and procedures. Throughout these consultations, the IP provides education and resources, identifies strengths and areas of opportunities for the facility's infection prevention program, and continues to support the facility after the assessment is completed.

During this presentation, we will discuss our findings from ICAR consultations that took place in skilled nursing facilities between March 2020 and August 2023. Data from these ICAR consultations were compared with existing Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services citation data, specifically F880 Infection Control citations. We assessed the relationship between having an ICAR consultation and having an F880 tag in the subsequent 12 months following the visit. Our target audience includes infection preventionists, long term care facility leadership and staff members, epidemiologists, and public health professionals of all skill levels.