Hospital Spotlight | Yale New Haven Hospital’s High-Risk Patient MRSA Prevention Initiative

The Connecticut Hospital Association (CHA) continues a new Hospital Spotlight Series* with a feature on Yale New Haven Hospital’s High-Risk Patient MRSA Prevention Initiative. As the recipient of the 2026 John D. Thompson Award for Excellence in the Delivery Healthcare Through the Use of Data, the team behind this program was honored at the 2026 CHA Annual Meeting. Watch the award recognition video here.

Through the High-Risk Patient MRSA Prevention Initiative, Yale New Haven Hospital improved patient care by redesigning how high-risk patients are identified and treated to prevent hospital-onset bloodstream infections, shifting from reactive, variable practices to a standardized, proactive, risk-based nasal treatment process guided and validated by externally reported data.

Hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections are associated with substantial morbidity, mortality, and cost. Despite adherence to established prevention strategies — such as hand hygiene, contact precautions, and chlorhexidine bathing — data revealed persistently elevated rates, signaling the need for a fundamental change in practice.

In response, a multidisciplinary team, including infection prevention, quality and safety, nursing leadership, supply chain, and executive sponsors, built and implemented a process focused on establishing early, consistent interventions based on patient risk rather than relying on surveillance testing or post-colonization response.

High-risk populations were clearly defined, including critically ill patients, those with central venous access devices, patients receiving hemodialysis, burn patients, and additional cohorts as data matured. Nasal treatment strategies are now matched to patient risk, allowing escalation for select highest-risk patients while maintaining broader prevention measures for others.

“I’m very proud of the team for taking an idea and turning it into action, and taking a belief and turning it into lives saved,” said Katherine Heilpern, MD, president, Yale New Haven Hospital. “This team gets up every day thinking, ‘How can we make this hospital more safe for our patients, and how can we delivery the highest quality of care?’ With patient safety and quality, you almost never arrive at the pinnacle. You keep going and climbing until you think that you can go no further, and yet you can, because there’s always an opportunity. This team did that in the most beautiful of ways. It was really a remarkable symphony.”

The redesigned process was embedded directly into the hospital’s routine clinical workflows and staff education. Automated patient identification and ordering minimized dependence on individual clinician recognition, while barcode scanning and medication administration record documentation supported consistent execution at the bedside.

Patients were educated on the purpose of nasal treatment and, when appropriate, engaged in self-application, improving acceptance while avoiding additional invasive testing. In oncology populations, where trust, comfort, and autonomy are central to care delivery, encouraging patients to be active participants was particularly well received.

This initiative resulted in measurable, sustained improvement in patient outcomes. At Yale New Haven Hospital, externally reported hospital-onset MRSA bloodstream infection rates declined from 0.61 to 0.36 per 10,000 patient days. Compliance with nasal treatment exceeded 80%, and patient engagement strategies reduced refusals over time.

The High-Risk Patient MRSA Prevention Initiative anticipates risk and prevents harm, reinforcing a culture of continuous improvement and reflecting high-reliability principles. By using data to drive a system-level process redesign and involving patients as partners in prevention, the hospital achieved demonstrable improvement in safety, reliability of care, and patient experience.

Yale New Haven Hospital’s High-Risk Patient MRSA Prevention Initiative was selected to receive the 2026 John D. Thompson Award for Excellence in the Delivery Healthcare Through the Use of Data. The 2027 CHA Annual Awards are now open for submissions through January 13, 2027. Click here to learn more.

*Connecticut hospitals and health systems are constantly developing and implementing innovative, collaborative approaches to care to meet the evolving needs of their patients and communities. Through the Hospital Spotlight Series, CHA will showcase initiatives that are transforming care delivery, advancing health equity, and elevating the world-class, high-quality care for which Connecticut is known. Each spotlight offers a closer look at one of the countless programs underway across the state.