Trends in mortality, length of stay, hospital charges associated with HAIs

Editor's Note

In this study of patients discharged from two tertiary-quaternary hospitals and one community hospital, researchers found no appreciable or consistent improvement in hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), mortality, or length of stay from 2006 and 2012.

During this time, total charges declined by 11% for bloodstream infection and 13% for pneumonia. Daily charges increased 4% for urinary tract infections but did not change significantly for other HAIs.

In the 352,077 patients included in the study, there were 24,466 HAIs.

Many factors associated with hospital-acquired infections (HAIs), including reimbursement policies, drug prices, practice patterns, and the distribution of organisms causing infections, change over time. We examined whether outcomes, including mortality, length of stay (LOS), daily charges, and total charges associated with HAIs, changed during 2006-2012.