Beginning in fiscal year 2015, the program directed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) reduces hospital payments by 1 percent for facilities that rank amongst the lowest performing 25 percent with respect to specific HACs.
The program's specific patient safety measures concern the following healthcare-associated infections (HAIs):
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI);
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI);
- Surgical site infections (colon surgeries and abdominal hysterectomies) (2016 addition);
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (2017 addition); and
- Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) (2017 addition).
While the goal of this program, including the reduction of payments, is to create improvement in patient safety and quality, hospitals that treat the sickest and therefore the riskiest patients will be penalized as an unintended consequence. The public needs to be cautious when interpreting the information while bearing in mind that hospitals are making the effort to reduce HAIs and progress occurs over time.
It is imperative for hospitals to remain vigilant in their efforts to prevent and reduce HACs and HAIs. These efforts should include use of an infection prevention risk assessment, conducting ongoing infection control education and always following proper safety guidelines and recommendations.
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