Illinois was the leader and first state to introduce (Jan. 2006) mandated MRSA screening legislation and the Illinois General Assembly was the first legislature in the U.S. to pass such legislation on May 25, 2007. Also Illinois was the first state to enact mandated MRSA screening and reporting legislation when the Governor signed it on August 20, 2007 and it went into effect immediately.

Other states have followed Illinois with introducing similar legislation using the Illinois bill and the bill is based on the 2003 SHEA Guideline for controlling MRSA. PA, NJ and CA have successfully passed mandated MRSA screening legislation.

The MRSA Screening and Reporting Act

MRSA Control Program. In order to improve the prevention of hospital-associated bloodstream infections due to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (“MRSA”), every hospital shall establish a MRSA control program that requires:
(1) Identification of all MRSA-colonized patients in all intensive care units, and other at-risk patients identified by the hospital, through active surveillance testing.
(2) Isolation of identified MRSA-colonized or MRSA-infected patients in an appropriate manner.
(3) Monitoring and strict enforcement of hand hygiene requirements.
(4) Maintenance of records and reporting of cases under Section 10 of this Act. (Source: P.A. 95-312 effective 8-20-07)

Sec.10 Reporting by Dept. of Public Health.

(a) After Oct. 1, 2007, the dept. of Public Health shall compile aggregate data for all hospitals on the total number of infections due to MRSA that (1) are persent on admission to a hospital and (2) occurred during the hospital stay, reported separately, as complied from diagnostic codes contained in the hospital Discharge Dataset provided to the Dept; provided, that this reporting requirement shall apply only for patients in all intensive care units and other at-risk patients identified by hospitals for active surveillance testing for MRSA. The Dept. is authorized to require hospitals, based on guidelines developed by the National Center for Health Statistics, after October 1, 2007 to submit data to the Dept. that is coded as “present on admission” and “occurred during the stay”.
(b) the Dept. shall make such data available on its web site, in all annual reports, and on the Hospital Report Card Act pursuant to the Hospital Report Card Act.