Reported cases of hospital-acquired infections have been increasing, moving from ICUs to general beds, and these infections are causing more deaths, higher costs of care and more litigation against hospitals.
For example, there were 94,000 cases of HAIs from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auerus in 2005, and nearly one in five infected patients died from it, according to a white paper from TeleTracking, a software company that offers patient flow automation solutions.
Hospitals are feeling the financial impact. TeleTracking reports MRSA-related hospital stays tripled since 2000. HAI patients have an average length of stay of 20.6 days, compared with 4.5 days for other patients. What's more, the typical hospital is named in seven HAI-related lawsuits each year, each with an average settlement of $1.5 million, the white paper says.
"We live in a world of germs, and hospitals are no exception," said Susan Sewell, RN, vice president of patient management at Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio.
What is being done
"Bloodstream infections from catheters are nearly 100 percent preventable with clear, actionable steps," said Cathryn Murphy, RN, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
APIC reported hospitals that use advanced technology for healthcare-associated infection surveillance are more likely to implement best practices for infection prevention. And yet in a recent APIC survey of infection control professionals, only 30 percent reported their leaders were willing to budget for preventive measures.
The Obama administration is offering $50 million to states to promote quality initiatives and will begin penalizing hospitals with high infection rates beginning in 2015. Meanwhile, 27 states now require hospitals to report data related to hospital-acquired infections and most of them publicly report the results, which could lead to more lawsuits against hospitals.
In June, the Ohio Hospital Association reported 53 Ohio hospitals working together reduced central line-associated bloodstream infections in ICUs by 48 percent over six months. The project aims to reduce the mean the infection rate to less than one per 1,000 catheter days over 18 months.
For example, there were 94,000 cases of HAIs from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus auerus in 2005, and nearly one in five infected patients died from it, according to a white paper from TeleTracking, a software company that offers patient flow automation solutions.
Hospitals are feeling the financial impact. TeleTracking reports MRSA-related hospital stays tripled since 2000. HAI patients have an average length of stay of 20.6 days, compared with 4.5 days for other patients. What's more, the typical hospital is named in seven HAI-related lawsuits each year, each with an average settlement of $1.5 million, the white paper says.
"We live in a world of germs, and hospitals are no exception," said Susan Sewell, RN, vice president of patient management at Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio.
What is being done
"Bloodstream infections from catheters are nearly 100 percent preventable with clear, actionable steps," said Cathryn Murphy, RN, president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
APIC reported hospitals that use advanced technology for healthcare-associated infection surveillance are more likely to implement best practices for infection prevention. And yet in a recent APIC survey of infection control professionals, only 30 percent reported their leaders were willing to budget for preventive measures.
The Obama administration is offering $50 million to states to promote quality initiatives and will begin penalizing hospitals with high infection rates beginning in 2015. Meanwhile, 27 states now require hospitals to report data related to hospital-acquired infections and most of them publicly report the results, which could lead to more lawsuits against hospitals.
In June, the Ohio Hospital Association reported 53 Ohio hospitals working together reduced central line-associated bloodstream infections in ICUs by 48 percent over six months. The project aims to reduce the mean the infection rate to less than one per 1,000 catheter days over 18 months.