February 1, 2012
On any given day, roughly one in 20 patients acquires an infection while hospitalized. They can come from ventilators; central lines used to deliver fluids, medication and blood; urinary catheters; or surgical sites.
They also are just one example of hospital-acquired conditions. Others include blood clots, falls and severe bed sores. These conditions cost the healthcare system billions of dollars a year. So do hospital readmissions. Almost one in five patients covered by Medicare is readmitted to a hospital within 30 days of being discharged, and many of those readmissions are preventable.
The Wisconsin Hospital Association has launched a statewide initiative, funded with money included in the federal healthcare reform law, to reduce hospital-acquired conditions and readmissions.
Roughly 100 hospitals plan to participate in the initiative.
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