What it means to you: Hospital stays are expensive enough without mistakes. But a healthcare-associated infection (HAI) can tack on extra days in the hospital, laboratory tests and antibiotics—all of which increase a patient’s final bill (an average of more than $12,000 according to this 2008 Medical Care citation).
Now, if a patient develops an infection in the hospital and that infection results in an extended hospital stay, Medicare—as well as some insurance providers and the self-insured patient—will pay the hospital for some of that extended care. But the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is fed up with footing the bill. In October, CMS will refuse to reimburse hospitals for certain preventable errors. Read more here.
The scoop: According to this case study, which analyzed 26 studies, average costs associated with HAIs are: - $25,072 per ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP)
- $23,242 per blood stream infection (BSI)
- $10,478 per surgery site infection (SSI)
- $12,116 per MRSA BSI
- $5,980 per MRSA infection
A New York Times article cites this from a JAMA report: At a Colorado hospital, a heart attack patient who develops a urinary-tract infection earns the hospital 63 percent more than a heart attack patient who does not contract the infection.
How much should be invested to stop these infections? Check out this CDC report that analyzes the economics of infection control.
Learn more: For more information about the financial and clinical impact of the new CMS ruling, attend APIC’s upcoming conference, “Mastering the New CMS Regulation: Implications for Infection Control & Prevention.” The conference will be held Sept. 22-23 in Arlington, Va. For more information, click here.
