Screening patients in the intensive care unit for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can save hospitals money, according to a new study.
Researchers at Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center said early detection of MRSA would lead to a reduced rate of infection and transmission within the hospital. Under optimal assumptions, they said, hospitals could save as much as $500 per admission.
The study, published in the February issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, was based on statistical simulation, researchers said.
"This study presents evidence of the cost savings from implementing a program that targets the ICU population but that has an effect that is hospital-wide," said lead researcher John Nyman, a health economist at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.
"Although we find that this program pays for itself through the MRSA infections prevented, it is important that hospitals also consider how this type of program fits into their overall institutional infection-prevention programs and realize that this intervention is only one of many alternative interventions that are designed to prevent healthcare-associated infections," Nyman said.
According to the study, hospitals could use this testing approach to complement other strategies to reduce the incidence of MRSA infection. "We owe it to the patients to continue to assess and improve our preventive strategies,” the study reported.
The annual cost to treat MRSA in hospitalized patients is estimated at $3.2 billion to $4.2 billion, according to the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.
MRSA is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that can lead to severe infections and is associated with approximately 19,000 deaths annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A 2006 survey conducted by APIC showed that 46 out of every 1,000 inpatients were either infected or colonized with MRSA – a rate eight times higher than previous estimates.
[See how Ohio hospitals saved $12.8 million by preventing healthcare-associated infections.]
Some policymakers have recommended universal screening to reduce hospital-acquired MRSA infection. APIC has called for a more targeted, evidence-based approach that allows hospitals to tailor screening efforts based on their unique situation and recently published an updated Guide to the Elimination of MRSA Transmission in Hospital Settings, 2nd Edition, including a section on active surveillance testing.
"The findings from this research are interesting but also highlight the importance of application of these by infection preventionists based on risk assessment at their affiliated facilities," said APIC President Russell Olmsted, an epidemiologist in infection prevention and control services at St. Joseph Mercy Health System in Ann Arbor, Mich.
"A broad focus that addresses prevention of all pathogens is critical. With the U.S. government’s increased focus on preventing all healthcare-associated infections, it will be even more important for facilities to make sure they are doing everything possible to reduce and ultimately eliminate these infections," he said.
[MRSA can spread from hospital outpatients to inpatients, researchers say.]