IntroductionNosocomial infections also known as healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are infections that patients contract while receiving treatment for another condition in a healthcare facility. In 2011, approximately 722,000 HAIs occurred in acute care hospitals in the United States, of which approximately 75,000 died (CDC, 2014). The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) estimates the financial burden attributable to HAIs to be between $28 and $33 billion. billion every year. The thousands of people who die each year and the heavy financial burden caused by HAIs demonstrate that there is still much room to improve the current quality control processes in place to curb HAIs. CSVRMC quality control process. In writing this article, this student nurse chose Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center (CSVRMC) in Santa Fe, NM. It is the oldest hospital in New Mexico, the only Level III trauma center in northern New Mexico, and the largest hospital north of Albuquerque New Mexico and south of Pueblo, Colorado. The CSVRMC quality control process is evidence-based and sanctioned by the Joint Commission. CHRISTUS St. Vincent has an infectious disease doctor named Michael Palestine MD who works with them to control the threats posed by HAIs. Their HAI quality control process includes the use of protective clothing, gloves and eye protection when appropriate. Washing hands before and after patient care is a “must” and hand sanitizers are available at the entrance to each patient room and must be used by staff entering and exiting the room. Patients and relatives are also encouraged to wash their hands before and after visits. Precautions against neutropenia are also instituted as appropriate. Tools for evaluating quality control standards at...... middle of document ...... Delphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Hospital Appear. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2014, from the Medicare.gov website: http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/compare.html#cmprTab=3&cmprID=320002%2C320001%2C320021&lat=35.616067&lng=-105.8525154&loc=87505Healthcare-associated In infections (ICA). (2014, March 26). Retrieved April 8, 2014, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website: http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/surveillance/index.htmlBundle to Prevent Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infections. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2014, from the International Nosocomial Infection Control Consortium (INICC) website: http://www.inicc.org/pdfs/ingles/VAPandCLABBundle.pdfInfectious Disease Services. (n.d.). Retrieved April 8, 2014, from the CHRISTUS St. Vincent Regional Medical Center website: http://www.stvin.org/infectious-disease-services