Hospital acquired conditions rates level off; areas still in need of improvement

The Department of Health & Human Services released a study showing that the rate Hospital Acquired Conditions (HACs) has leveled off after three years of decline. In 2010, 145 out of every 1,000 patients either contracted a disease or preventable injury during their stay at a hospital. HAC rates have fallen 17% since then, leveling off in 2013 and 2014 at 121 HACs per 1,000. This represents 2.1 million fewer HAC cases, $19.8 billion saved in healthcare costs and 87,000 patients not dying due to a HAC over the course of four years.
The report looked at the national rates for 27 specific complications to determine the frequency of HACs. The most noticeable drops in HAC have been in surgical site infections (18%), urinary catheter infections (38%) and central line infections (72%).
However, there were areas in need of improvement the report found. The rates of several types of HACs have remained the same over the past four years, with some complications became more frequent:
•    Patient falls
•    Catheters puncturing arteries during surgery
•    Adverse drug reactions and complications during childbirth
•    Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria (MRSA) infection
•    Pneumonia cases in patients breathing through mechanical ventilators