(reposted from CMS Provider Resource)

CMS Gives Consumers Access to More Details about Infection Rates at America's Hospitals - Data Will Save Lives, Cut Costs
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs) are among the most serious of all healthcare-associated infections, resulting in thousands of deaths each year and nearly $700 million in added costs to the US healthcare system.  On Tue Feb 7, CMS announced that Hospital Compare will now include data about how often these preventable infections occur in hospital intensive care units across the country.  This step will hold hospitals accountable for bringing down these rates, saving thousands of lives and millions of dollars each year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in 2009, there were about 41,000 CLABSIs in US hospitals.  Studies show that up to 25 percent of patients who get a CLABSI will die from the infection.  Caring for a patient with a CLABSI adds about $17,000 to a hospitalization.  These infections prolong hospitalizations and can cause death.

Hospital Compare is one of Medicare’s most popular web tools.  The site receives about 1 million page views each month and is available in English and in Spanish.  More information about Hospital Compareis online at http://www.HospitalCompare.HHS.gov.

To view the CMS video of Nancy Foster, Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety Policy at the American Hospital Association, discussing Hospital Compare, visit the CMS YouTube channel.

The full text of this excerpted CMS press release (issued Tue Feb 7) can be found athttp://www.CMS.gov/apps/media/press/release.asp?Counter=4260.