A collaborative effort among 53 Ohio hospitals resulted in a 48 percent reduction in central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) in intensive care units over a 22-month period, saving lives and $4.6 million in healthcare costs.
In collaboration with the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA), the participating hospitals worked with 80 patient care units in Ohio on the CUSP: Stop BSI, a voluntary program designed to eliminate CLABSI using the Comprehensive Unit-Based Safety Program (CUSP). A central line is a catheter that ends in large vessels going into the heart so clinicians can more closely monitor patients and administer medication.
Teams successfully implemented CUSP over the 22-month project resulting in the following:
• Ohio – combined with two other states – saved excess costs of more than $4,558,000, prevented 86 bloodstream infections, saved 17 lives and saved 688 excess hospital days.
• Ohio hospitals reduced the mean CLABSI rate within the state to 1.24 per 1,000 catheter days in participating hospitals by implementing the CUSP model.
• Participating hospitals improved the safety culture in their unit.
• Ohio developed a model for implementing and disseminating best practices about CLABSI reduction throughout the state.
Healthcare-associated infections are one of the most common complications of hospital care with nearly two million patients developing these infections, which contribute to $28 billion in healthcare costs.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 250,000 central-line associated blood stream infections occur in hospitals each year at an estimated cost of $53,000 per episode. Between 30,000 and 62,000 people die due to catheter-related blood stream infections every year in the United States and nearly $3 billion dollars is spent on these infections worldwide.
“The success of this project to reduce bloodstream infections is another great example of how Ohio hospitals have improved care for all patients by working collaboratively with OHA to identify areas where they can improve processes and then sharing best practices with each other,” said David Engler, PhD, vice president of OHA’s Quality Institute. “Through this work, we all win. The work is about driving to eliminate infections.”