PA Posts Rate of HAIs
A new report from the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council details the rate of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) during 2006. Rates described cover all the acute care facilities across the State.
Over 30,000 patients contracted infections while being treated in Pennsylvania hospitals. The incidence of infection increased since 2005; when there were 19,154 cases reported. Importantly, between these two years, the reporting requirements for HAIs were broadened.
The rate of HAIs calculated during 2006 was 15.1 out of every 1,000 patients hospitalized. This was a decrease of seven percent compared to the last quarter of 2005; at which point the reporting requirements had already been enacted.
Among the patients who developed HAIs, 3,716 died or 12.3 percent of that group. Importantly, it was not indicated whether the infections were the cause of death. Just over two percent in the group that did not have HAIs died. The most common HAIs noted were urinary tract infections, followed by gastrointestinal infections, and pneumonia.
The report further noted the significant costs associated with HAIs, including financial considerations, as well as the human costs. The average hospital stay among individuals who acquired HAIs was 19 days. Individuals who did not contract infections stayed in the hospital, comparatively, an average of five days.
This amounted to a significant increase in costs to treat patients for this longer stay. Patients who developed infections had hospital bills averaging $176,000; those who did not develop HAIs had hospitalization costs lower than $34,000.
Pennsylvania was the first state to mandate infection reporting by acute care facilities, as well as sharing the infection rates from each hospital with the general public. Information about the regulations passed by the Pennsylvania legislature was reported on HospitalBuyer already.
April 11, 2008 Related topics: Trends, Quality, Safety, Errors, Hygiene & Cleanliness