The U.S. avoided 350,000 hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) for Medicare beneficiaries between 2014 and 2016, representing a decline of 8% that saved $2.9 billion in costs, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In addition, about 8,000 deaths were averted. The HACs in AHRQ’s tally include adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line–associated bloodstream infections, Clostridium difficile infections, falls, obstetric adverse events, pressure ulcers, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonias, post-op venous thromboembolisms, and various other HACs.
Read more:
- Managed Care Magazine: https://www.managedcaremag.com/archives/2018/8/progress-seen-hospital-safety