Challenges and successes of putting health care-associated infection public reporting laws into practice.

摘要

Mealth care-associated infections (HAIs) exact a significant toll on human suffering and public tax dollars. These are among the leading causes of death in the United States, accounting for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 deaths annually. In an effort to improve patient care, increase accountability, and reduce costs resulting from HAIs, more than half of states now require health care facilities to publicly report infections. In fact, since 2005, the number of states with these laws has grown from 6 to 27 as of May 2010. This policy-making activity is perhaps the result of Dollars 50 million authorized in federal funding for states to engage in HAI planning and activities, such as public reporting, through the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.