Maryland To Monitor Medical Handwashing

CLARKSVILLE, Md. (AP) -- Medical practitioners in Maryland will have some eyes on them watching how often they wash their hands in hospitals in Maryland.

Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown will be joined by state health officials on Tuesday in Clarksville to talk about the program, which is being billed as the first of its kind in the nation.

The aim is to cut down on healthcare-acquired infections, which represent an estimated $30 billion in additional health care costs nationally.

Nicole Stallings, who is the director of the Maryland Health Quality and Cost Council, says the "secret shoppers" who will be watching will be hospital employees.

The Maryland Hospital Hand Hygiene Collaborative will be partially funded by a $100,000 cooperative agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.