Hand Hygiene Quality Incentive Program continues

The hospital's October hand hygiene compliance results were announced this week with a slight decline in the before-patient-contact rate to 86 percent, and the after-patient-contact rate coming in at 91 percent. While the before-patient-contact rate fell slightly below the 90-90 goal, hospital staff still managed to post record high hand hygiene results for September and October.

In a joint memo to all hospital staff, Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH, and David F. Torchiana, MD, chairman and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, praised the effort of all employees to meet the 90-90 standard, saying, "While this slight decline from our 90-93 results in September may be disheartening, we would like to remind the MGH community that these still are excellent results. The October results are the second highest rates we have ever achieved — second only to our September results. We believe that these recent accomplishments may be among the best hospital hand hygiene compliance rates in the country."

Because a portion of the employee bonus program is tied to the Hand Hygiene Quality Incentive Program, the majority of the full bonus will be paid to all active employees who are eligible for the program in the Nov. 15 pay cycle. This bonus reflects meeting the FY '07 hospital financial target and exceeding the 90 percent goal for after-patient contact for two months, one of the quality incentive goals. In addition, the deadline for measuring the hospital's hand hygiene compliance has been extended to Nov. 30, with the goal of reaching 90-90. If the 90-90 mark is met in November, the remaining portion of the bonus related to the pre-contact hand hygiene incentive will be paid in December.

The bonus program is linked directly to this important patient safety initiative to help move the MGH closer to its ultimate target of reaching 100 percent hand hygiene compliance at all times. In all health care settings, hand hygiene is the primary tool used to reduce healthcare-associated infections that can dramatically affect clinical outcomes for patients. While achieving 90 percent compliance is the standard set by the Joint Commission, the MGH has set its target higher to ensure all patients are cared for in the safest environment possible.

For more information about the Hand Hygiene Quality Incentive Program, visit intranet.massgeneral.org/handhygiene/. For more information about the bonus program, employees should speak with their managers.