Understanding recent regulatory guidelines for hospital-acquired catheter-related urinary tract infections and pressure ulcers.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a final rule to update the hospital inpatient prospective payment system for fiscal year 2008. Included in this new ruling is the need to identify conditions present on admission as well as guidelines underscoring that payment will not be rendered for certain conditions determined to be hospital-acquired. Two of the eight conditions affect patients with incontinence: catheter-associated urinary tract infections and pressure ulcers. These conditions, if present on admission to an acute care facility, must be identified by the clinical staff and the attending physician. For patients admitted without these conditions, evidence-based, preventive protocols of care must be implemented in order to provide optimal care and prevent costly complications.