Why is it important to look at hospital-acquired infections?
A hospital-acquired infection is an infection that a patient contracts while hospitalized. At the time of admission, the infection would not have been either present or developing. Hospital-acquired infections represent a direct threat to patient safety and health care quality. They are life threatening and costly. Impact on patient safety and finances During 2005, Pennsylvania hospitals identified 19,154 hospital-acquired infections. The mortality rate for patients with a hospital-acquired infection was 12.9%, while the mortality rate for patients without a hospital-acquired infection was 2.3%. The average length of stay for patients with a hospital-acquired infection was 20.6 days, while the average length of stay for patients without a hospital-acquired infection was 4.5 days. The average hospital charge for patients with a hospital-acquired infection was $185,260, while the average for those patients without such infections was $31,389. When looking at private sector insurance reim
