SECTION 509.55. Infection Control

(a) The facility shall provide a sanitary environment to avoid sources and transmission of infections and communicable diseases. The facility shall have an infection control program for prevention, control, and surveillance of infections and communicable diseases.

(1) The facility shall designate an infection control professional. The facility shall adopt, implement, and enforce policies governing prevention, control, and surveillance of infections and communicable diseases.

(2) The facility shall have a system for identifying, reporting, investigating, and controlling health care-associated infections and communicable diseases between patients and personnel.

(3) The infection control professional shall maintain a log of all reportable diseases and health care-associated infections designated as epidemiologically significant according to the facility's infection control policies.

(4) The facility shall adopt, implement, and enforce a written policy for reporting all reportable diseases to the local health authority and the Texas Department of State Health Services Infectious Disease Prevention Section, in accordance with 25 TAC Chapter 97 (relating to Communicable Diseases).

(5) The infection control program shall include active participation by the medical staff, nursing staff, pharmacist, and other practitioners as appropriate.

(b) The medical director is responsible for ensuring the facility-wide quality assessment and performance improvement program and training programs address problems identified by the infection control professional.

(c) The medical director is responsible for ensuring that the facility implements successful corrective action plans in affected problem areas.

(d) The facility shall adopt, implement, and enforce a written policy to monitor compliance of the facility and its personnel and medical staff with universal precautions in accordance with Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 85 (relating to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection).

Source Note: The provisions of this §509.55 adopted to be effective December 4, 2023, 48 TexReg 7064