Hospital Acquired Infections

Healthcare Acquired Infections (HAIs), also called nosocomial infections, are infections that first appear between 48 hours and four days after a patient is admitted to a hospital or another healthcare facility. They include urinary tract, surgical site, lung and bloodstream infections. Despite the steps taken to reduce HAIs, they still remain one of the world's leading & most costly healthcare challenges. Most are preventable. All are extremely costly in human & financial terms.

Hospital stays for patients who acquire a healthcare related infection increase an average of 7-10 days at an incremental treatment cost of over $30,000 per patient¹. The annual cost to the healthcare industry totals nearly $45 billion², much of which is preventable.

The Financial Cost of HAIs

New insurance coverage regulations from both CMS (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) and insurance companies have eliminated reimbursement for HAIs deemed preventable. This is why it is more critical than ever to reduce their occurrence. A more complete solution to this growing problem is needed.

The Human Cost of HAIs

Each year, nearly 2 million³ patients in the U.S. acquire an infection while in a healthcare setting and nearly 100,000⁴ die as a result. It's also estimated that 70% of HAI-causing bacteria are drug-resistant.

^1,2 R. Douglas Scott II, Economist Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion National Center for Preparedness, Detection, and Control of Infectious Diseases Coordinating Center for Infectious Diseases Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; The Direct Medical Costs of Healthcare-Associated Infections in U.S. Hospitals and the Benefits of Prevention, March 2009

^3,4 R. Monina Klevens, DDS, MPH, et al; Estimating Health Care-Associated Infections and Deaths in U.S. Hospitals, 2002; Public Health Reports, March-April 2007

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