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BALTIMORE – Incidence of hospital-acquired conditions dropped 9% in 2013, preliminary federal data show.
The new report from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality estimates that the incidence of hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) was 17% lower in 2013 than in 2010, when the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services began more closely tracking readmissions from HACs.
The improvement seems to indicate continued progress in the effort to prevent conditions such as catheter-related infections, pressure ulcers, and drug-related adverse events, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said at the CMS Healthcare Quality Conference.
“Between 2010 and 2013, we reduced hospital-acquired conditions by 1.3 million events – with much of this progress coming over the last year,” Ms. Burwell said. Her agency estimates the reduced number of adverse events and preventable conditions translates to $12 billion in savings.
Much of the reduction came in 2013 – when there were 800,000 fewer incidents and 35,000 fewer patients died in hospitals, leading to $8 billion in savings, according to HHS.
Dr. Patrick Conway
“This is historic,” Dr. Patrick Conway, CMS deputy administrator for innovation and quality and chief medical officer said at the meeting.
The incidence of hospital-acquired infections has declined from 145 per 1,000 discharges in 2010, to 132 in 2012, to 121 in the latest data.
The biggest impact has been from a decline in pressure ulcers (21% decline) and in adverse drug events (44% decline), according to the report. The 3-year drop in pressure ulcers led to an estimated $5 billion in savings, while the decline in drug events saved the health care system almost $3 billion These two conditions also accounted for the greatest number of deaths averted over the 3 years, at 20,272 and 11,540 respectively.
“HHS will work with partners across the country to continue to build on this progress,” Secretary Burwell said.
The new report updates data for 2012 that was released in May.
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