The percentage of hospitals reporting zero healthcare-associated infections has dropped considerably since 2015 — meaning many patients are still at risk, a report from the Leapfrog Group found.
Leapfrog examined data from hospitals reporting to its hospital survey.The report, "Healthcare-Associated Infections," found the percentage of hospitals achieving zero infections declined for all five infections in the survey:
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections
- Surgical site infection after colon surgery
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
- Clostridium difficile
"Given this disturbing trend in performance showing hospitals making less progress on the spread of healthcare-associated infections, it's concerning that the CMS is proposing to decrease public reporting and transparency around infection rates and other measures of problems in hospitals. We urge all consumers to join with us in advocating for CMS to reconsider these changes," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of Leapfrog.
Leapfrog is urging CMS not to withhold information on infection rates and safety incidents by removing measures from its quality reporting programs, calling the proposal a threat to transparency in hospitals.
The full "Healthcare-Associated Infections" report is available here.