STUDY OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS RELATING TO MEDICAL DEVICES.

SEC. 229. STUDY OF NOSOCOMIAL INFECTIONS RELATING TO MEDICAL DEVICES.(a) In General.—The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on—(1) the number of nosocomial infections attributable to new and reused medical devices; and(2) the causes of such nosocomial infections, including the following:(A) Reprocessed single-use devices.(B) Handling of sterilized medical devices.(C) In-hospital sterilization of medical devices.(D) Health care professionals’ practices for patient examination and treatment.(E) Hospital-based policies and procedures for infection control and prevention.(F) Hospital-based practices for handling of medical waste.(G) Other causes.(b) Report.—Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall complete the study under subsection (a) and submit to the Congress a report on the results of such study.(c) Definition.—In this section, the term “nosocomial infection” means an infection that is acquired while an individual is a patient at a hospital and was neither present nor incubating in the patient prior to receiving services in the hospital.