Section He-P 812.20 - Infection Control(a) The licensee shall appoint an individual who will oversee the development and implementation of an infection control program that educates and provides procedures for the prevention, control, and investigation of infectious and communicable diseases. (b) The infection control program shall include written procedures for:(1) Proper hand washing techniques;(2) The utilization of standard precautions, as specified by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention "2007 Guideline for Isolation Precautions: Preventing Transmission of Infectious Agents in Healthcare Settings" (June 2007), available as noted in Appendix A;(3) The management of patients with infectious or contagious diseases or illnesses; (4) The handling, transport, and disposal of those items identified as infectious waste in Env-Sw 103.28 and regulated by Env-Sw 904; (5) Reporting of infectious and communicable diseases as required by He-P 301;(6) Evaluating and revising the infection control program in accordance with current CDC recommended actions;(7) Maintenance of a sanitary physical environment; and(8) Infection control policies specific to each department.(c) The infection control education program shall:(1) Be completed by all personnel on an annual basis; and(2) Address the: c. Transmission of infections; andd. Prevention and containment of infections. (d) Personnel infected with a disease or illness transmissible through food, saliva, or droplets, shall not provide direct care in any capacity until they are no longer contagious.(e) Personnel infected with scabies or lice shall not provide direct care to patients until such time as they are no longer infected. (f) Pursuant to RSA 141-C:1, employees with a newly positive Mantoux tuberculosis skin test or a diagnosis of suspected active pulmonary or laryngeal tuberculosis shall be excluded from the workplace until a diagnosis of tuberculosis is excluded or until the employee is receiving tuberculosis treatment and has been determined to be noninfectious by a licensed practitioner. (g) Personnel and staff with an open wound who provide direct care in any capacity shall cover the wound at all times by an impermeable, durable, secure-fitting bandage.(h) If the ASC has an incident of an infectious disease reported in (b) (5) above, the facility shall contact the public health nurse in the county in which the facility is located and follow the instructions and guidance of the nurse.(i) The ASC shall have available space, supplies and equipment for proper handling of suspected or actual infectious conditions.(j) The ASC shall require that licensed practitioners evaluate all patients at risk for an infection or communicable disease to ensure the detection or presence of same.(k) The ASC administrator shall appoint an infection control officer who shall: (1) Receive reports of communicable and infectious diseases; and(2) Report to the director of the division of public health services all diseases for which reporting is required under RSA 141-C.(l) The ASC shall have a policy requiring employees to make a report to the infection control officer if the employee suspects that they, another employee or patient has a communicable disease.(m) The ASC shall identify, track, and report infections, as required by RSA 151:33 and He-P 309.(n) The infection control program shall report to quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) on at least a quarterly basis.N.H. Admin. Code § He-P 812.20
#9727-A, eff 6-18-10; amd by #10079, eff 1-26-12
Amended by Volume XXXVIII Number 28, Filed July 12, 2018, Proposed by #12557, Effective 6/26/2018, Expires 12/24/2018.Amended by Volume XXXIX Number 50, Filed December 12, 2019, Proposed by #12926, Effective 11/26/2019, Expires 11/26/2029.