Patients will soon have access to the kind of information they need to make a safe and informed decision about the hospital of their choice. That’s because new regulations that require making public information about hospital-acquired infections will go into effect soon.
Beginning in January next year, hospitals around the country will be required to report their infection rates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hospitals must report the number of patients that develop central line bloodstream infections in intensive care and neonatal intensive care units. Later in 2011, infection rates for each hospital will be posted on the Hospital Compare website. Patients will be able to have a look at the infection data, and then make an informed choice about the hospital they wish to get admitted into.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 250,000 patients develop central line-associated bloodstream infections in hospitals every year. These are some of the deadliest hospital-acquired infections, and result in potentially fatal complications, like sepsis.
Hospitals will have much incentive to participate in the program. Virtually every hospital in the country will be included in the program, because they will earn a higher Medicaid payment from reporting their infection data. In the first year after the new regulations come into effect, hospitals will receive Medicare payments based on whether they’re reporting infection data. Beginning October 2012, hospitals will receive Medicare payments based on how they’re able to protect patients from hospital-acquired infections.
Hospital-acquired infections kill more than 100,000 people in the US every year. In all, it is estimated that at least 2 million patients in American hospitals will acquire some kind of infection in the hospital. The current regulations do not allow for patients to find out how their hospital rates in the prevention of deadly infections. Arizona medical malpractice lawyers believe the new system will improve access to such information, and will also serve as an incentive to hospitals to better their infection control strategies.
