Study: U.S. Spends $9.8B Annually on Hospital-Associated Infections

Hospital-associated infections cost the U.S. health care system $9.8 billion annually, according to a study released Monday by JAMA Internal Medicine, CBS News reports.

The study used data from CDC and research studies from 1998 through April 2013, adjusted for inflation (CBS News, 9/2).

The report found that central-line associated bloodstream infections, which made up nearly 19% of all HAIs, were the most costly, at $45,814 per case. Further, the cost of such infections increased by 27%, to $58,614, when drug-resistant bacteria were involved (Evans, Modern Physician, 9/2).

The report also found that surgical site infections were the most common, and made up nearly one-third of all HAIs.  Surgical site infections cost $20,785 per case, according to the report (CBS News, 9/2).

The report also noted several other costly HAIs, including:

• Ventilator-associated pneumonia, at $40,144 per case;
• Clostridium difficile infections, at $11,285 per case; and
• Catheter-associated urinary-tract infections, at $896 per case.

In addition, the report found that patients with HAIs were likely to spend 15.7 additional days in the hospital, compared with those who did not contract an HAI.

Report Suggests Ways To Reduce HAIs

The study's authors noted ways to cut costs and decrease the number of HAI. The report suggested "increasing federal support to evaluate effectiveness of ... prevention approaches, encouraging innovation to expand the list of effective interventions or enhancing surveillance programs to include post-discharge tracking" of HAIs.

The report also said financial incentives for preventing HAIs might prove effective (Modern Physician, 9/2).