Guidance & Regulation Updates

Clinician Letter: Updates on Measles and Syphilis in Virginia (6/10/2025) Measles and syphilis are both on the rise in Virginia. Clinicians are encouraged to stay alert for measles and help identify and reduce the spread of syphilis in Virginia.

Health Alert: Use Only Sterile Ultrasound Gel for Percutaneous Procedures (5/13/2025) An ongoing multistate investigation involves the use of non-sterile ultrasound gel during ultrasound-guided percutaneous procedures. An environmental bacterium Paraburkholderia fungorum has been identified from patient cultures and non-sterile ultrasound gel products. CDC recommends using only single-use ultrasound gel products labeled as "sterile" to reduce the risk of infection during ultrasonography for preparatory and procedural applications, including central and peripheral intravenous line placement, amniocentesis, paracentesis, tissue biopsies, and surgical interventions.

Guidance Update: Safe Injection, Infusion, Medication Vial, and Point-of-care Testing Practices in Health Care (5/12/2025) Updated evidence-based guidance on safe injection, infusion, vials, and point-of-care testing, including new recommendations on contrast injection, drug diversion, and personal protective equipment.

CMS published proposed rules for prospective payment systems and quality reporting programs for multiple healthcare facility types. FY2026 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment Systems for Acute Care Hospitals and the Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System - Proposed Rule (4/30/2025) FY2026 Prospective Payment System for Skilled Nursing Facilities and Updates to the Quality Reporting Program – Proposed Rule (4/30/2025) FY2026 Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility Prospective Payment System and Quality Reporting Program - Proposed Rule (4/30/2025) FY2026 Inpatient Psychiatric Facilities Prospective Payment System - Proposed Rule (4/30/2025) Content within these proposals applicable to infection prevention and control includes technical updates to National Healthcare […]

In partnership with multiple other organizations, SHEA developed Multisociety Guidance for Sterilization and High-level Disinfection, an infection prevention guidance document for individuals and organizations that engage in sterilization or high-level disinfection. This resource builds on the 2008 CDC Guideline for Disinfection and Sterilization in Healthcare Facilities

Long-Term Care (LTC) Surveyor Guidance has been revised to enhanced quality and oversight of the LTC survey process. This includes edits to the infection prevention and control and COVID-19 immunization portions of the guidance. Surveyors began using this guidance on surveys starting on April 28, 2025.

2025 NHSN Antimicrobial Use and Resistance (AUR) Updates for the Medicare Promoting Interoperability Program: As noted in the CMS FY 2025 Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System/Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System final rule (89 FR 69600 through 69605), for the 2025 Electronic Health Record reporting period, the AUR Surveillance measure has been split into two measures: Antimicrobial Use (AU) Surveillance and Antimicrobial Resistance (AR) Surveillance. The NHSN AUR Team has updated its resources to reflect this change and address common questions.   CMS Operational Guidance for Acute Care Hospitals to Report AUR Data  FAQs: AUR Reporting for the CMS Promoting Interoperability […]

Contains key tools and evidence-based strategies including core components of a CAUTI prevention program and an algorithm of alternatives to urinary catheters 

Provides updates on COVID-19 disease reporting and control regulations related to a variance the State Health Commissioner recently signed. Physicians, persons in charge of medical care facilities, and local health directors are no longer required to report suspected or confirmed individual cases of COVID-19. Directors of laboratories are still required to report, and all suspected or confirmed outbreaks must still be reported.

Stresses importance of staying alert for measles given recent exposure events and other ongoing measles outbreaks in the United States. Reviews CDC guidance for preventing and controlling measles in healthcare settings including vaccine recommendations. See the CDC measles Health Advisory for more reminders about measles.