Hospital-Acquired Conditions Dropped Nearly 1 Million from 2014 to 2017

Reducing hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), which include adverse drug events and healthcare associated infections among others, remains a priority for all healthcare organizations. Recently released data from the Agency for Healthcare Research (AHRQ) and The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) show a drop in HACs of approximately 910,000 from 2014 to 2017.  An analysis of the data suggests that these reductions helped to prevent roughly 20,500 hospital deaths and saved the healthcare industry $7.7 billion in costs over that three-year period.

More information, including access to the AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions Updated Baseline Rates and Preliminary Results 2014–2017, can be found here. The goal for 2019, according to AHRQ, is to further reduce HACs by another 20%.

MLMIC continues to support the achievements of our insured providers and facilities in the reduction of HACs and their ongoing improvements in patient safety.