Rampant healthcare-acquired infections call for transparency, HIT

Staggering rates of healthcare-acquired infections (HAI) require hospitals and health systems to implement health IT, as well as transparency, according to a GE white paper released today. As the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., HAIs affect one in 20 patients, that is, 1.7 million inpatients each year, according to the report.

"The total cost added to the system can't be ignored," added Mark Segal, co-author and vice president of government and industry affairs at GE Healthcare IT, in a press release. "As the government grapples with controlling healthcare costs, reducing HAIs offers a very real opportunity to reduce operating costs while maximizing reimbursements and avoiding future penalties."

HAIs cost the healthcare system $35 to $88 billion each year, averaging about $1,100 per admitted patient, according to the report.

Since the landmark report in 2000 by the Institute of Medicine and at the urging of national initiatives, Medicare will not reimburse for falls, retained foreign objects, air embolism, among other healthcare-acquired conditions. The shift in reimbursements is one that many institutions are taking to heart, acknowledging HAIs are unacceptable, as CMS Administrator Don Berwick once called it.