AHRQ: Decline in HACs saves 8,000 lives, $2.9 billion

Editor's Note

National efforts by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to reduce hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) helped prevent some 8,000 deaths and save $2.9 billion in costs between 2014 and 2016, according to a new report released June 5 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Data in the AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital Acquired Conditions estimates that 350,000 HACs were avoided, for a decline of 8%, and that overall harm decreased in several categories such as infections and adverse drug events by 15%. The rate of pressure injuries increased by 10%.

AHRQ analyzes data on HACs to help the Department of Health and Human Services track efforts to reduce patient harm by 20% by 2019.