Hospital-acquired conditions decline 8% over 2 years
CMS head Seema Verma calls national efforts to improve patient safety that saved 8,000 lives and $2.9 billion a tremendous accomplishment.
National efforts to reduce hospital-acquired conditions helped prevent an estimated 8,000 deaths and saved $2.9 billion between 2014 and 2016, according to data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Hospital-acquired conditions include adverse drug events, injuries from falls, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central-line associated bloodstream infections, pressure injuries, and surgical site infections.
Data in the new AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions showed that infections and adverse drug events dropped 15 percent from 2014-2016, while pressure injuries (pressure ulcers) increased during those years.
Overall, 350,000 hospital-acquired conditions were avoided between 2014 to 2016, a reduction of 8 percent.
This echoes earlier success from 2010 and 2014 showing an avoidance of 2.1 million hospital-acquired conditions and 87,000 deaths. This represents savings in healthcare costs of $19.9 billion, a 17 percent drop.
Preliminary data for 2017 is expected within the next year to determine if the reductions seen in 2014-2016 continue.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has set a goal of reducing hospital-acquired conditions by 20 percent from 2014 through 2019. Once this goal is met, AHRQ projects that from 2015 through 2019, there will be 1.8 million fewer patients with hospital-acquired conditions, resulting in 53,000 fewer deaths and saving $19.1 billion in hospital costs.
"Today's results show that this is a tremendous accomplishment by America's hospitals in delivering high-quality, affordable healthcare," said CMS Administrator Seema Verma. "CMS is committed to moving the healthcare system to one that improves quality and fosters innovation while reducing administrative burden and lowering costs."
The Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks, HIINs, works at the provider, state, regional and federal level to give quality improvement assistance to more than 4,000 of the nation's 5,000 hospitals, CMS said.
Providing direct technical support are the Quality Improvement Network – Quality Improvement Organizations, the HIINs, and the End Stage Renal Disease Network Program.
Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: susan.morse@himssmedia.com
