Colorado Law Blog

In 2006, Colorado passed a law requiring hospitals to publicly reveal their infection rates, it was with the expressed purpose to improve surgical hygiene. Consumers have demanded more transparency in health care in part because of stories about a drug-resistant "superbug" -- MRSA, the staph germ found in hospitals across the country. Since 2004, 20 states have passed laws requiring hospitals to report infection data.

The state's infection report was released in January with a follow-up report last week; the January report is available online. The data offer a one-year look at infections.

Most of the state's hospitals' infection rates were close to the national average for the number of infections at surgical sites after hip and knee replacements, heart surgery or infections through the bloodstream. Since the new requirement for reporting, some hospitals have started administering antibiotics no more than an hour before incision and have standardized pre-operative skin preparation. And since the law was enacted, a Louisville hospital has switched to a new kind of sterilizer, Delta County Memorial has hired an outside inspector and Swedish Medical Center in Englewood has launched a team of specialists focused on evaluating infection control.

At Centura Avista Adventist Hospital in Louisville, where infections in knee-replacement surgeries were above the national average, infection-control experts ramped up sanitation since the year the data were taken. The hospital changed its sanitizing agent and no longer lets surgical-equipment vendors follow doctors into operating rooms to help them use new tools. Vendors now must check in with hospital staff, and the hospital sterilizes the surgical equipment.

The new data complement other hospital rankings, including report cards from the Colorado Hospital Association and data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The CDPHE Annual Report contains data related to hospital-acquired infections that occurred as a result of the following procedures: central lines in adults and neonates, total/partial hip replacements, total/partial knee replacements and coronary artery bypass grafts. The report contains data for infections that occurred between the reporting period of August 1, 2007 through July 31, 2008.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Gov. Bill Ritter signed a bill last week which will help make Colorado roads safer for cyclists. The measure, Senate Bill 148, requires that drivers give cyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing or risk a $110 ticket. Anyone who throws an object at a cyclist could be charged with a Class 2 misdemeanor, which carries a fine of between $250 and $1,000, and a possible sentence of three to 12 months in jail. The bill was sponsored by a bipartisan pair of avid cyclists -- Republican Sen. Greg Brophy of Wray and Democratic Rep. Michael Merrifield of Manitou Springs. The new law takes effect Aug

But the new law didn't help Dave Scott, a six-time Ironman world champion and triathlon coach, who was injured Sunday afternoon when he was hit by a car while riding his bike in Boulder. Friends said Scott spent Sunday night at Boulder Community Hospital and underwent surgery on his shoulder blade Monday at the Steadman Hawkins Clinics in Vail.

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It's a mother's worst nightmare - a tragic accident befalls your child. Every year, about 50,000 children go to U.S. hospital emergency rooms because of injuries on home playground equipment. About 80% of the injuries occur when children fall from play equipment. Children are also injured when they are hit by swings or other moving equipment or are cut from sharp edges and protruding bolts on play structures.

And each year several children die on home playgrounds, primarily as a result of entanglement or strangulation from ropes, cords, or leashes attached to play equipment, or when clothing drawstrings and items worn around children's necks catch on the equipment. Others die when their heads or necks are trapped in narrow spaces, they fall from the equipment, or when they are struck by play equipment that moves or tips over.

To avoid such tragedies, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has developed the following check list for families planning a home playground:

OUTDOOR HOME PLAYGROUND SAFETY CHECKLIST

• Supervision Be sure to always supervise children on play equipment.


• Surfacing Install a protective surface under and around play equipment to reduce the likelihood of serious head injuries.


• Types of Surfacing Carpeting and thin mats are not adequate as protective surfacing. Maintain at least 9 inches of loose-fill material or use an ASTM F1292 rated material at the depth required for the equipment height.


• Equipment Maintenance Periodically check nuts, bolts, caps, swing seats, suspension ropes, chains, and cables and replace as necessary. Maintain loose-fill surfacing and surface mats.


• Opening Eliminate openings that can trap a child's head or neck, such as openings in guardrails or ladders. Openings should be smaller than 3½ inches to prevent entry of a small child's body, or larger than 9 inches to allow a child's head and body to slide completely through.


• Ropes Never attach jump ropes, clotheslines, pet leashes, or cords of any kind to play equipment. Anchor any climbing ropes at both ends. Remove drawstrings from children's clothes. Children can strangle on these.


• Anchors Bury or cover anchors with adequate surfacing material to prevent tripping. Play equipment should not tip over.


• Guardrails or Barriers Make sure that platforms and ramps over 30 inches high have guardrails or barriers to prevent falls.


• Repair Repair sharp points or edges on equipment that can cause injuries.


• Upkeep of Hardware Replace missing hardware, eliminate protruding bolts, and close "S" hooks that can cause injuries.

For more information from CPSC on playground safety, visit Playground Safety Publications.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Safer driving on Colorado roadways was the goal of two proposed bills which have been derailed in the state legislature.

A bill that would have required all drivers in Colorado to use hands-free devices to talk on their cellphones while driving got a major pruning in the state Senate when it gutted the ban on hand-held cellphone conversations for adult drivers. Instead, after the amendment, the bill merely bans text-messaging while driving, across all age groups. Drivers under 18 years old still would be barred from talking at all on cellphones while driving.

The bill, House Bill 1094, must have final approval in the Senate, expected today. Lawmakers must then negotiate how to reconcile the version passed in the House -- which would ban all hand-held cellphone calls while driving -- and the one passed in the Senate.

A second bill was killed by a Colorado House committee would have toughened Colorado's seat-belt law. The bill would have allowed officers to pull over drivers suspected of not wearing seat belts and write them $75 tickets. Currently, seat belts are mandatory, but authorities can ticket only drivers who have been pulled over for other traffic offenses.

Posted by Linda Chalat at 1:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission for the third time has recalled cribs made by Jardine Enterprises because of slats that break -- this time adding 96,000 cribs to the tally of those that could trap or strangle a baby. The move brings the total number of recalled Jardine cribs, sold largely at Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores, to almost half-million. Jardine first recalled some of its cribs in June 2008, and then expanded the recall in January of this year. The cribs in all three recalls were made in China and Vietnam.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission states it has received 31 reports of slats breaking, including two reports of children who were trapped in the gap created when the slats broke. Consumers told the agency that in 10 cases the children broke the slats while in their cribs. One child received bumps and bruises. This type of gap is particularly dangerous because tiny bodies can slip through the gaps, but their heads get caught and they can strangle or hang to death.

With any crib, bassinet or play yard, following a few simple rules will keep babies sleeping safely. The following is provided by the CPSC website:

• To prevent suffocation, never place pillows or thick quilts in a baby's sleep environment. Also, make sure there are no gaps larger than two fingers between the sides of the crib and the mattress.


• Proper assembly of cribs is paramount - Follow the instructions provided and make sure that every part is installed correctly. If you are not sure, call the manufacturer for assistance.


• Do not use old, broken or modified cribs - Infants can strangle to death if their bodies pass through gaps between loose components or broken slats while their heads remain entrapped.


• Properly set up play yards according to manufacturers' directions. Only use the mattress pad provided with the play yard; do not add extra padding.


• Never place a crib near a window with blind or curtain cords; babies can strangle on curtain or blind cords.

For a list of recalled models and other information about crib safety, go to the CPSC Crib Information Center.

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