The interim update report on 2013 annual healthcare-associated infection rates and cost savings estimates indicates a 17 percent drop in healthcare-acquired conditions from 2010 to 2013, which equals approximately 1.3 million fewer infections. Such a decline also translates to approximately 50,000 fewer patient deaths in hospitals and a $12 billion reduction in healthcare costs.
Patient harms fall 17% since 2010: Are federal incentives working?
In 2010, the healthcare community was tasked with improving quality measures through a series of initiatives, including Medicare payment incentives and HHS’ Partnership for Patients. Preliminary data from HHS demonstrates that such initiatives have proved successful so far.
