(a) By July 1, 2007, the department shall appoint a Healthcare Associated Infection Advisory Committee (HAI-AC) that shall make recommendations related to methods of reporting cases of hospital acquired infections occurring in general acute care hospitals, and shall make recommendations on the use of national guidelines and the public reporting of process measures for preventing the spread of HAI that are reported to the department pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 1288.8.

(b) The advisory committee shall include persons with expertise in the surveillance, prevention, and control of hospital-acquired infections, including department staff, local health department officials, health care infection control professionals, hospital administration professionals, health care providers, health care consumers, physicians with expertise in infectious disease and hospital epidemiology, and integrated health care systems experts or representatives.

(c) The advisory committee shall meet at least every quarter and shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for travel-related expenses that include transportation, lodging, and meals at the state per diem reimbursement rate.

(d) In addition to the responsibilities enumerated in subdivision (a), the advisory committee shall do all of the following:

(1) Review and evaluate federal and state legislation, regulations, and accreditation standards and communicate to the department how hospital infection prevention and control programs will be impacted.

(2) In accordance with subdivision (a) of Section 1288.6, recommend a method by which the number of infection prevention professionals would be assessed in each hospital.

(3) Recommend an educational curriculum by which health facility evaluator nurses and department consultants would be trained to survey for hospital infection surveillance, prevention, and control programs.

(4) Recommend a method by which hospitals are audited to determine the validity and reliability of data submitted to the NHSN and the department.

(5) Recommend a standardized method by which an HAI occurring after hospital discharge would be identified.

(6) Recommend a method by which risk-adjusted HAI data would be reported to the public, the Legislature, and the Governor.

(7) Recommend a standardized method by which department health facility evaluator nurses and consultants would evaluate health care workers for compliance with infection prevention procedures including, but not limited to, hand hygiene and environmental sanitation procedures.

(8) Recommend a method by which all hospital infection prevention professionals would be trained to use the NHSN HAI surveillance reporting system.

(Amended by Stats. 2008, Ch. 294, Sec. 5. Effective January 1, 2009.)