California Healthcare-Associated Infection Prevention Initiative (CHAIPI)
A Program of Blue Shield of California Foundation (BSCF)
Related Links
Program Director
Deborah Schwab
Having served as a nurse practitioner, hospital administrator, and health plan program director, Ms. Schwab now leads the Foundation’s efforts to improve the quality of patient care through advances in health technology.
View Full Bio »
Key Facts
Background
Each year across the nation, one in 20 patients acquires an infection during their hospital stay. Of the 2 million people who suffer from hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) each year (including 150,000 cases annually in California), five percent (99,000) die, making HAIs a leading cause of death in the United States. HAIs cause more deaths than diabetes or Alzheimer’s, and half of all treatment complications in acute care hospitals. What makes the impact of HAIs particularly tragic is that a large number of these infections are preventable. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced it will no longer reimburse hospitals for incurred costs of treatment associated with two of the highest frequency HAIs.
Blue Shield of California Foundation’s Proactive Response to HAIs
The purpose of CHAIPI is to reduce unnecessary morbidity, mortality, and cost associated with HAIs in California hospitals through clinical and technological innovation. Phase I of CHAIPI demonstrated impressive results. An evaluation of its first 18 months showed over 600 infections prevented. Across all participating hospitals, the overall rate of HAIs dropped 3.2 percent, including declines in blood, respiratory, and urinary infections. Some hospitals reported dramatic reductions of 15 to 20 percent. CHAIPI financial results were equally striking. Among CHAIPI hospitals, reductions in HAIs resulted in 4,641 fewer hospital days (and associated claims savings) and $2.2 million in hospital bottom line savings. In just 18 months, CHAIPI showed that automated reporting, prevention, and surveillance technology can decrease HAIs. The initiative set a promising precedent for future efforts to improve quality of care and contain healthcare costs.
CHAIPI Phase II
CHAIPI Phase II will dramatically expand efforts to eliminate HAIs in adult, acute care hospitals in California from 2008-2009. A CHAIPI Collaborative will be established that combines the best elements of peer learning and quality improvement (QI) excellence with CHAIPI Phase I’s proven innovation – use of electronic HAI surveillance technology to reduce incidence of HAIs. The goals of the CHAIPI Collaborative will be to enable each participating hospital to “get to zero” in one to three of their most harmful HAIs; to build improvement capacity in every hospital so that each can continue the work of eliminating HAIs after the Collaborative is complete; and to help hospitals, using technology in support of their HAI reduction efforts, to apply this technology effectively within a framework of systematic quality improvement.
Core faculty for the CHAIPI Collaborative will be drawn from leading organizations: Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), California Institute for Health Systems Performance (CIHSP), and Cardinal Health/MedMined.
In Phase II, BSCF will award technology and QI grant funds to support 100 California hospitals’ participation in a statewide CHAIPI Collaborative focused on HAI elimination.
Hospital Grant Opportunities from Blue Shield of California Foundation
All California hospitals are welcome to participate in CHAIPI and to benefit from deeply discounted MedMined HAI electronic surveillance system pricing, the HAI Elimination Core Curriculum, and peer learning opportunities of the CHAIPI Collaborative. In addition, California not-for-profit hospitals are eligible to apply for one of three levels of BSCF grant funding through a competitive application process. Selection preference will be given to safety net hospitals and to hospitals expressing interest in Technology Cohort participation (see below). MedMined technology purchase is not required for CHAIPI funding or participation. Participating hospitals are free to use any HAI surveillance products. However, BSCF technology grant support and preferred pricing are negotiated through one vendor for the benefit of participating hospitals. MedMined products and services for CHAIPI are described at http://www.cardinal.com/medmined. Hospital opportunities for participation are outlined in the table below.
| Cohort | Eligibility | Grant Opportunity | Non-grant Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Technology
Cohort 1
(Phase I pilot hospitals) |
By invitation only to CHAIPI Phase I hospitals | Collaborative (QI) and mentor hospital grant: Up to $25,000 over 21 months | Technology opportunity: Reduced vendor pricing, HAI Benchmarking Suite, and MRSA add-on feature at no cost |
| Technology
Cohort 2 (Phase II hospitals) |
Open to not-for-profit hospitals new to CHAIPI in Phase II (up to 60) | Technology
grant: $45,000 ($30,000 in year 1; $15,000 in year 2) Collaborative (QI) grant: Up to $20,000 over 21 months |
None |
| Process & Education Cohort | Open to not-for-profit hospitals new to CHAIPI in Phase II (up to 40) | Collaborative (QI) grant: Up to $20,000 over 21 months | None |
| For-profit Hospitals | NA | None | (1) Technology: reduced vendor pricing (2) Collaborative: eligible to participate |
Grantee Requirements
All CHAIPI grantees are required to demonstrate in-kind contributions (staff time, financial, and organizational resources); participate in Collaborative calls and meetings, and share regular activity updates with the Collaborative so that “all teach and all learn”; develop at their facility and share with the Collaborative at least one HAI elimination-focused QI project; participate in BSCF media outreach activities as requested; and submit progress and financial reports to BSCF every six months. In addition, Technology Cohort 1grantees are asked to serve as educational mentors/advisors in support of hospitals that are new to electronic HAI surveillance technology. Technology Cohort 2 grantees must enter into a 2-year technology contract with MedMined, and agree to pay $20,000 in year one and $35,000 in year two to cover hospital share of costs for the purchase of MedMined technology and services (after BSCF grant subsidy).
Application Process and Timeline
Hospitals will be invited to apply for technology and QI grants through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process beginning March 5, 2008 and ending June 2, 2008. BSCF will announce the first wave of grant awards the week of May 19, 2008.
How to Apply
Not-for-profit Hospitals
All grant seekers must apply for CHAIPI funds using the BSCF Cybergrants online application system.
For-profit Hospitals
Non-grant seekers (for-profit hospitals) can apply for participation by completing the CHAIPI Application and emailing it to
.
For more information, please view:
- CHAIPI Phase II Collaborative Description (pdf)
- Frequently Asked Questions (pdf)
Other Questions? Please email .
