Healthcare Associated Infections: The Unknown Killer

Healthcare Associated Infections: The Unknown Killer Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIS) affect millions of people and add billions of dollars to healthcare costs in the U.S. annually. HAls are an unintended consequence of care delivered by healthcare organizations. Scientific evidence suggests that most HAls are preventable. 22 If you are admitted to a hospital, you have a 5% chance of contracting an HAI Your length of stay in the hospital increases by 17.6 days if you get an HAI 1.7 million people per year get an infection during a hospital stay 98,987 people in the U.S. die annually from HAIS HAIS kill more people each year than Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer combined. System $35 Billion/yr IШ 9.4% of total HAIS 98,987 inpatient costs are HAI-related 69% Breast Prostate Cancer Heart Failure 56,752 Diabetes 68,504 Patient Cancer 41,115 $1,100 More than % of HAls 28,154 per admission affect people with Medicare or Medicaid Y) imagination at work Sources: Estimoting HAls and Deaths in US Hospitals, Klevens 2002 The Direct Medical Costs of HAls in US Hospitals and the Benefits of Prevention, R Douglos Scott, CDC, Mar 2009 healthymagination