By Susan Carr

There is a host of new, free resources available—which I review here briefly—for improving the management of medical devices and interoperability of devices and information systems. Among these resources is the next issue of PSQH, which will be in the mail and posted online the week of Feb 11.

Last July, after 12 movie goers were shot dead and dozens wounded by a gunman at a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises ” in Colorado, 23 victims – the largest contingent of wounded – were taken to the University of Colorado Hospital.

Nearly 2 million people acquire HAIs, or hospital-acquired infections, in the United States each year – resulting in 100,000 deaths annually – according to The Infectious Diseases Society of America. HAIs also lead to more than $4.5 billion in excess healthcare costs, increase the average hospital stay from 4.5 to 20.6 days, and raise the average patient bill from about $30,000 to nearly $200,000, as reported by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It may look like a futuristic gadget from a science fiction movie, but this germ-killing robot is a new, efficient method of tackling hospital superbugs. As reported in the Daily Mail, the device kills hospital superbugs faster than before and could save the NHS $325 million a year if adopted nationwide.

Presbyterian Hospital is the largest acute care center in New Mexico and the first in Albuquerque to deploy the V-360 Room Sanitizer. The V-360 Room Sanitizer generates high intensity UV energy and quickly disinfects surfaces contaminated with viruses, bacteria and fungal spores, including superbugs that cause illness and infection.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) moved forward to strengthen the privacy and security protections for health information established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).