Safety & Infection Control Flashcards
7 cards from real CMS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Safety & Infection Control flashcards as text
Which CMS program publicly reports a hospital's rate of central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) to consumers?
Answer: Hospital Compare (Care Compare)
CMS publishes CLABSI rates and other HAI data on its Care Compare (formerly Hospital Compare) website so consumers can evaluate hospital safety.
What is the CMS requirement for a nursing home's infection preventionist role under the Requirements of Participation?
Answer: At least one staff member must be designated and trained as an infection preventionist
CMS requires every LTC facility to designate at least one trained infection preventionist responsible for the facility's infection prevention and control program.
Under Medicare's Conditions of Participation, which document must a hospital maintain to guide its infection control program?
Answer: A written infection control plan with policies and procedures
CMS requires hospitals to have a written infection control plan with documented policies and procedures reviewed and updated regularly.
A CMS surveyor finds that a SNF failed to report a Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) cluster to public health authorities. This is an example of a deficiency in which F-tag category?
Answer: F880 – Infection Prevention and Control
F880 covers all infection prevention and control requirements, including mandatory outbreak reporting obligations for CMS-certified long-term care facilities.
Which hand hygiene product is considered equally effective to soap and water for most pathogens in CMS-certified healthcare settings, except for C. diff and norovirus?
Answer: Alcohol-based hand rub (ABHR)
Alcohol-based hand rubs are effective for most pathogens but are not sporicidal; soap and water must be used for C. difficile and norovirus.
Under CMS guidelines, which of the following constitutes an 'immediate jeopardy' finding related to infection control in a nursing home?
Answer: Staff reusing single-use syringes across multiple residents
Reusing single-use syringes across residents creates an immediate risk of bloodborne pathogen transmission and meets CMS criteria for immediate jeopardy.
What is the recommended sequence for doffing (removing) PPE in a CMS-aligned infection control protocol?
Answer: Gloves first, then gown, then mask/respirator, then perform hand hygiene
CDC and CMS-aligned guidelines recommend removing gloves first (most contaminated), then gown, then mask, with hand hygiene after each step.