WA state releases surgical infection data online

Hospital specific surgical infection rates in Washington state have been published for first time online by WA Hospital Association.  The rates are available at www.wahospitalquality.org/.  Two state laws, one passed in 2007 and in 2010, require the data to be collected and made public. The infection rate information applies to these surgical procedures: heart bypasses and transplants, knee and hip replacements, heart valve and septum surgeries, and vaginal and abdominal hysterectomies.   The public can look up hospitals by county or hospital name, for instance, and compare infection rates to national and state averages.