Improvements in HAIs seen in latest hospital safety grades

Editor's Note

Healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) have improved significantly after infection rates spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the nonprofit safety organization the Leapfrog Group, PRNewswire November 6 reports. According to the data, over 85% of hospitals improved performance on at least one of three dangerous infections: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI). All three reached a 5-year high during the pandemic. 

The latest findings show that:

• 19% of hospitals have improved in all three infection measures
• 66% of hospitals have improved at least one infection measure
• 16% of hospitals have either worsened or failed to make improvements
• nearly 30% of hospitals earned an “A” grade in this cycle of hospital grades–with Utah leading, followed by Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Connecticut, Montana, Tennessee, Florida, and Texas
• the states with the lowest grades include Vermont, Wyoming, Delaware, and Washington DC
• no hospitals in North Dakota earned an “A.”

While HAIs have improved, patient experience scores have worsened for the second year in a row, with the most significant declines in the categories of “communication about medicines” and “responsiveness of hospital staff.”