Stack: Report of Fewer Hospital Infections is Good News For All

PHILADELPHIA, January 23, 2009 — The latest state report announcing that hospital-acquired infections declined in 2007 is good news for all Pennsylvanians, state Sen. Mike Stack said today. 

In 2007, the number of hospital-acquired infections fell by 7.5 percent compared to 2006, according to a new report by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council.

“Clearly, Pennsylvania’s focus on reducing health care-acquired infections is having a positive impact on health care,” Stack said. “A reduction in infections means fewer lengthy hospital stays, which means patients — and, in some cases, the taxpayers — aren’t paying for a completely preventable illness.”

In 2005, Pennsylvania hospitals reported more than 19,000 cases in which patients contracted a hospital-acquired infection — a rate of 12 per 1,000 cases.

That same year, the average length of stay for hospital patients was 4.5 days; however, patients with a hospital-acquired infection stayed in the hospital 20.6 days.

The average hospital charge for patients with a hospital-acquired infection was $185,000; whereas, the charge for patients without a hospital-acquired infection was $31,000.

In response, in 2007 a new law was passed that establishes a program that, beginning this year, will provide financial incentives for those facilities that achieve significant reductions in reported infections. The new law also permits the Department of Health to take action against facilities that do not meet benchmark targets for reducing infections.

“This law, in conjunction with our hospitals’ commitment to keeping patients healthy, will certainly help to further reduce infections,” Stack said. “We must continue to focus on health care quality improvements and outcomes.”

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