Surgical site infections are among the most expensive inpatient harms and were linked to about $30,000 in added hospital costs per infection, a study published in Health Services Research found.
To estimate the financial cost of preventable patient harms, researchers analyzed 2009-11 inpatient data from 12 states using the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project's State Inpatient Databases.
They compared hospital costs incurred by inpatients who experienced a specific harm to the costs incurred by similar patients who did not experience that harm.
Researchers identified SSIs and severe pressure ulcers as the costliest inpatient harms. They found these complications can each add about $30,000 to an inpatients total costs associated with a hospital stay.
Less costly harms, such as catheter- or hospital-associated urinary tract infections and venous thromboembolism, can add $6,000 to $13,000 to a hospital bill. Birth and obstetric traumas can add $100.
Costs from inpatient harms should interest healthcare leaders as an area for potential savings, the researchers concluded.