The cost of treating adults 65 and older for infections borne of contaminated water from both household and hospital water pipes may exceed $2 billion in Medicare payments annually, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Public Health Policy.
For the study, a team of researchers conducted an analysis of 100 million Medicare records. The team found more than 617,000 hospitalizations linked to common plumbing pathogens — such as Legionella — accounting for approximately $9 billion in Medicare payments, which comes to an average of $600 million annually. Researchers estimate the current costs of such infections may exceed $2 billion for 80,000 cases per year. The presence of antibiotic resistance, which can be exacerbated by aging pipes, was identified in more than 1 percent of hospitalizations and increased costs by 10 to 40 percent per case.
"The observed upward trend in associated infections is likely to continue, and aging water distribution systems might soon be an additional reservoir of costly multidrug resistance," said lead study author Elena Naumova, PhD, professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston. "This is a clear call for deepened dialogue between researchers, government agencies, citizens and policy makers, so that we can improve data sharing and find sustainable solutions to reduce the public health risks posed by these bacteria."
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