The problem of hospital-based infections is not new and affects nearly one in 20 hospital patients. But as more patients go to less expensive clinics and doctors' offices for care, including complicated surgeries, the growth of infections could shift outside hospital walls, according to Scientific American. Adding to the problem, settings outside the hospital often don't track healthcare-associated infection data and their medical workers lack the same level of infection prevention information as hospital staff. To defend against preventable infection in clinics and doctors' offices, the industry needs to enhance infection control principles and communication, Beth Bell, director of the CDC's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases told a Senate panel yesterday. Blog Post