A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows a significant decline in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs), but Consumers Union says more needs to be done, since the report also suggests most hospitals have not made significant overall infection improvements in five years.
The CDC report shows more modest reductions were made in reducing surgical site infections and urinary tract infections since the government agency began reporting the information three years ago. Nationally only 10 percent of hospitals reported zero infections in all categories of infections covered by the CDC. This indicates hospitals can effectively prevent infections when they devote the proper attention and resources to the problem, Consumers Union suggests.
“There’s been a concerted push in recent years to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infections in ICUs and those efforts are clearly beginning to pay off,” said Lisa McGiffert, director of Consumers Union’s Safe Patient Project, in a press release. “We need to bring the same focus and energy to preventing all types of infections with the ultimate goal of eliminating them. A small percentage of hospitals have been able to attain zero infections, showing that it can be done. Unfortunately, most hospitals have not shown statistically significant improvement since five years ago.”
The CDC report details data collected for 2011 from hospitals in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Currently, 30 states and the District of Columbia require infection reporting, while most hospitals in the other 20 states report their infection rates voluntarily as part of a financial incentive program from Medicare.
Infections detailed in the report include CLABSIs, surgical site infections (SSIs) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs). All three are the focus of a 2008 initiative by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reduce CLABSIs by 50 percent and SSIs and CAUTIs by 25 percent each by 2013.
The CDC also reports infections against its Standardized Infection Ratio (SIR), a measurement that compares 2011 infection rates against baseline data that predicts what the infection rates would be otherwise, based on historical data.
Among the report's key findings:
- Nationally, hospitals reported 41 percent fewer CLABSIs in 2011 compared to 2008.
- The report estimates that each CLABSI in ICUs resulted in $26,000 in additional charges for Medicare patients, with an estimated national total of $322 million in additional costs annually for all CLABSIs in the ICU.
- Nationally, hospitals reported 17 percent fewer SSIs in 2011.
- Nationally, hospitals reported 7 percent fewer CAUTIs in 2011 compared to 2009.
According to CDC estimates, roughly 100,000 people die each year as a result of hospital-acquired infections, with total healthcare costs associated with these infections as high as $45 billion.