According to an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) analysis, the number of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) reported in the United States dropped by 910,000 (13%) from 2014–2017.
Adverse drug events decreased by 28%, and hospital-acquired infections such as central line-associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections dropped by 6% and 5%, respectively. The only HAC that increased was the incidence of pressure ulcers, which grew by 6%. The reduced incidence prevented 20,500 deaths and saved $7.7 billion in healthcare costs from 2014–2017.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ ultimate goal is to further reduce HACs for a total 20% drop by 2019, which would represent a total of 1.8 million prevented deaths and $19.1 billion in hospital costs from 2014–2019.
Speak Up to Prevent Infection is a new campaign from the Joint Commission that provides patient education resources. Learn more at the Joint Commission’s website.
