Two Virginia hospitals are the first in the country to receive certification in a new program focusing on managing infection risk, according to an article on the Fierce Healthcare website.

Sentara Leigh and Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospitals received certification from DNV GL's new program.

"One in 25 patients will get a hospital-acquired infection (HAI) in a hospital and these infections lead to a loss of thousands of lives per year," Patrick Horine, chief executive officer of DNV Healthcare in the United States, said in the article. "These infections result in $30 billion in avoidable costs and the healthcare industry is under an enormous amount of scrutiny to proactively manage the risk of HAIs."

Twenty-two hospitals are in various stages of the certification process, which involves examining how and why these infections occur; a proactive approach that goes beyond current regulatory requirements to make sure staff receive proper training; and a rigorous standard to ensure all staff are aware of the role they play in infection control, the article said.

Read the article.