Scrutiny Prompts Hospitals to Reduce Infections : One CMS-sponsored pilot project that focused on improving control cut overall infection rates by 27%.

To ensure that patients always receive antibiotics an hour before the procedure, the anesthesiologist is required to call the holding room nurse, who administers the antibiotic.

Razors have been mostly replaced with clippers for shaving hair around surgical sites, which reduces nicks that could invite infection, Mr. Schrader said.

Evergreen has cut its infection rate to 0.85%.

Mr. Schrader expects infection control to continue to be an area of focus. “The hard part was putting the energy into making the changes,” he said. “Once the changes were made, it became a normal way of life.”