A Reuters investigation found the United States fails to record an accurate number of infection-related fatalities, according to Managed Care.
Here are five things to know:
1. Reuters reported federal and state agencies fail to account for thousands of drug-resistant infections deaths.
2. The report claims the nation fails to implement basic steps necessary to tracking drug-resistant infections. For instance, many physicians and other providers do not get sufficient training in how to fill out death certificate forms and some providers fill out the forms before they can get a laboratory confirmation of an infection.
3. Healthcare facilities also are incentivized to not report healthcare-acquired infections because they could lose reimbursements and their reputation if they have a high reported rate of HAIs.
4. A Reuters survey uncovered wide variations in how 50 states and Washington, D.C., track seven superbug infections. For instance, only 17 states require notification of Clostridium difficile infections.
5. Despite the growing number of drug-resistant bacteria, the government only mandates hospitals to report methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and C. difficile infections.
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