Florida Hospital Association Reports Infection Prevention Improvement Statewide

Hospitals nationwide have been intricately involved in quality assurance performance improvement efforts (QAPI) for several years. In 2012, seventy-seven Florida hospitals, under the direction of the Florida Hospital Association (FHA), enrolled in the largest hospital quality improvement project in the state in partnership with the American Hospital Association, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Engagement Network (HEN). They set a goal of achieving a 40% reduction in harm and a 20% reduction in preventable readmissions within a three-year period.

The project was extensive, with hospitals working through the FHA HEN providing many resources to fulfill the requirements. The focus was placed on 11 major areas that are notoriously for having the highest reported incidences of preventable harm. Four of these areas related to healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs), including central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), surgical site infection (SSI) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP).

According to a recent FHA report (pdf), results on this initiative are very encouraging thus far, and include significant improvement in reduction of HAIs. Within the 11 areas of focus, it was reported that 27,500 cases of harm were prevented. The overall harm rate was reduced by 54% and an estimated $170 million in healthcare costs were avoided.

Of note in the report is a special mention of CLABSI and CAUTI reduction: “In addition to the 11 targets, FHA HEN hospitals also worked on reducing dangerous infections such as Clostridium difficile (C. diff), Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), sepsis and several other complications."

With Florida's progress toward infection prevention and eliminating patient harm, including HAIs, the state is continuing collaborative efforts as there remains much work needed to continue progress in the area of patient safety. HEN 2.0 will be launching later in 2015, with Florida hospitals striving for the ultimate goal of "safest in the country."