MACOMB, Ill. – McDonough District Hospital was recognized nationally by the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for an outstanding job eliminating a particular infection.
According to CMS, a total of 536 hospitals in the U.S. have a Clostridioides difficile infection rate of zero, based on the healthcare-associated infections dataset from CMS. MDH is one of 15 hospitals in Illinois to achieve that feat.
A recent article in Becker’s Hospital Review (beckershospitalreview.com) listed MDH among the 536 hospitals.
“A zero C. Diff infection rate is a significant achievement and a testament to the high-quality care that exists at MDH. Preventing healthcare-associated infections requires coordination and commitment across the entire organization. This recognition reinforces our mission to provide exception care to our patients. We are very proud of our team,” said MDH Interim Chief Nursing Officer Melissa Onion, RN, BSN, CLC.
Clostridioides difficile [klos–TRID–e–OY-dees dif–uh–SEEL], also known as Clostridium difficile and often called C. difficile or C. diff, is a bacterium (germ) that causes diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. C. diff infection is more common among patients in healthcare settings, such as hospitals and nursing homes. This is because many people who have C. diff stay or get treated in those facilities.
Measures are developed by the CDC and collected through the National Healthcare Safety Network. The measures show how often patients in a particular hospital contract certain infections during the course of medical treatment when compared to similar hospitals. Data was collected from September 2024 to June 2025 and was last updated May 13, 2026.
The CDC calculates a standardized infection ratio, which may take into account care location, number of patients with an existing infection, lab methods, hospital affiliation with a medical school, hospital bed size, patient age and patient health. The measures apply to all patients treated in acute care hospitals, including adult, pediatric, neonatal, Medicare and non-Medicare patients, according to the CMS data dictionary.
The Healthcare-Associated Infection (HAI) measures provider data. These measures are developed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and collected through the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). They provide information on infections that occur while the patient is in the hospital. These infections can be related to devices, such as central lines and urinary catheters, or spread from patient to patient after contact with an infected person or surface. Many healthcare associated infections can be prevented when the hospitals use CDC-recommended infection control steps.
Some information courtesy: CDC
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