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» A magazine for and about Oregon Community Hospitals.
CDC infections report shows Oregon hospitals
significantly outperforming national average
Oregon’s hospitals perform significantly better than
the national average in preventing health care-acquired
infections (HAI), according to the National and State
Healthcare Associated Infections Progress Report released
earlier this year by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
HAIs are infections that patients can get while receiving
medical treatment in a health care facility. The report, based
on 2014 national data (the most current available), shows
infection rates are lower than the national average for every
condition that the CDC tracks:
•
Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI) are
5% lower than the national baseline and 17% lower than
the state’s average last year.
•
Surgical site infections (SSI) for abdominal hysterectomy
are 9% lower than the national baseline, and 20% lower
year-over-year in Oregon.
•
Hospital onset Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections
are 27% lower than the national baseline and 4% lower
than last year’s state average.
•
SSIs for colon surgery are 16% lower than the
national baseline.
•
Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI)
are 52% lower than the national baseline.
•
MRSA Bacteremia infections are 35 percent lower than
the national baseline.
“Health care-acquired infections are serious and harmful
to patients. They are also preventable,” said Diane Waldo,
Associate Vice-President of Quality and Clinical Services for
the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
“This report shows how hospitals are committed to patient
safety as demonstrated by their effort to improve outcomes.
Hospitals will continue to work closely with all partners
on the health care team, including patients and families,
to make hospitals a safe place to receive care. The goal is
to eliminate hospital and health care-acquired infections
entirely.”
Health care-acquired infections are among the top 10 leading
causes of death in the United States and cost upwards of $33
billion per year nationally, according to the CDC. Preventing
these infections has become a key element to improve patient
care and lower costs in the health care system.
“Addressing the issue takes effort on two fronts: consistent
and reliable patient care and improved
patient engagement,” Waldo said. “In an
effort to spread and sustain a culture
of safety, Oregon health care providers
participate in patient safety initiatives
that incorporate accountability and
evidenced based best practices.”
Nearly all of Oregon’s 62 hospitals
have participated, or are currently
participating, in the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
Partnership for Patients initiative,
which aims to reduce hospital
acquired conditions by 40 percent
and readmissions by 20 percent. Since
beginning their Partnership for Patients
work, hospitals working with OAHHS
have achieved a 40 percent or greater
reduction in CAUTI, CLABSI, surgical
site infections, ventilator-associated
complications, and early elective
deliveries.
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