Proposed Rule Would End Public Disclosure of Fatal, Rising Hospital Infections

The story

If a proposed rule goes into effect as planned, the public will no longer have access to data on hospital-acquired infections, which have been increasing since 2015.

Currently, this information is available through the Hospital Compare online research feature.

Public comments are under review, and a final rule will need to be submitted before it can take effect.

Why it matters

The plan would end public disclosure of infections patients catch at hospitals. That includes MRSA – a class of bacteria that is resistant to almost all types of antibiotics and Clostridium difficile – a bacterium that can cause symptoms ranging from diarrhea to life-threatening inflammation of the colon.

A new report found that hospital-acquired infections have been increasing since 2015, and that the percentage of hospitals achieving zero preventable infections has declined dramatically over the same period.

Currently, one in 25 patients in the U.S. contracts a preventable hospital-acquired infection, resulting in 90,000 deaths annually.

Who benefits?

Medicare started issuing penalties in 2008 for high rates of hospital-acquired conditions, including things like falls, ulcers, and infections, all of which are preventable. In 2017, Medicare penalized 751 hospitals and health systems for that very reason, with a 1 percent reduction in reimbursement rates for 2018.

The Medicare penalties were designed to reduce the incidence of preventable infections that were not present at the time of admission, but they have not had that effect. One study found that there was a substantial increase in hospitals listing these infections as “present on admission.”

USA Today reports:

“Hospitals apparently hadn’t been lobbying for the change, but the American Hospital Association said the amount of data required by different federal programs was burdensome and the change would allow them to focus more on patient safety.”

What do you think?

Do you want to preserve public disclosure requirements for hospital-acquired infections? Do you think the reporting burden is too heavy? The public comment period for this rule has closed, but you can still hit Take Action to tell your reps what you think, then share your thoughts below.

—Sara E. Murphy

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / SrdjanPav)