From the PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE:
A state report released last week is encouraging in that it estimates the number of patients who contracted infections while hospitalized is dropping, but it’s too early to declare victory in this costly fight…
Going forward, the state will use federal stimulus funds to conduct audits at select hospitals, targeting those with very high rates of infection and those with very low rates. That should ensure that the hospitals all are using the same criteria for reporting and that the data provide an apples-to-apples comparison. In the future, the state should have access to 12 months of information for each year so it won’t have to project the annual infection rates as it did for 2008…
Valid information about how well hospitals control infection within their walls is vital for consumers as they make decisions about where they seek medical care. In addition to reducing the rates of illness and death, preventing hospital-acquired infection is key in helping to tamp down the spiraling cost of medical treatment. The report says that in Pennsylvania alone, such infections add more than $3 billion a year to the cost of care…
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