WASHINGTON – The Department of Health and Human Services has unveiled a plan that includes healthcare information technology as a critical piece in preventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs).
The plan establishes a set of five-year national prevention targets to reduce and possibly eliminate HAIs, acquired by patients while undergoing medical treatment or surgical procedures.
The HHS plan lists a number of areas in which HAIs can be prevented and outlines cross-agency efforts to save lives and reduce healthcare costs through expanded prevention efforts.
Much of the IT component of the HHS plan focuses on harnessing and sharing data surrounding HAIs.
“This plan will serve as our roadmap on how the department addresses this important public health and patient safety issue,” HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt said. “This collaborative interagency plan will help the nation build a safer, more affordable healthcare system.”
Some hospitals across the country have already implemented technology to help them harness HAI data.
Forty-six hospitals in Alabama are using benchmarking software called Medmined, developed by Cardinal Health. The software makes it possible to compare infection rates among hospitals around the country.
“The real benefit from the benchmarking tool is in knowing how other hospitals perform and sharing knowledge and best practices to ensure continued improvement,” said Benja Morgan, infection control and employee health manager at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, Ala.
Sharp HealthCare in San Diego deployed Premier SafetySurveillor infection control and pharmacy modules to track and prevent infections.
“Research has shown HAIs are often preventable if identified and isolated in time,” said Premier Epidemiologist and Director of Infection Prevention Salah Qutaishat.
Leavitt said that in addition to the tremendous toll on human life, the financial burden attributed to HAIs is staggering.
HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that approximately 1.7 million HAIs occurred in U.S. hospitals in 2002 and were associated with 99,000 deaths.
The CDC also estimates that HAIs add as much as $20 billion to healthcare costs each year.
The HHS plan establishes national goals and outlines key actions for enhancing and coordinating HHS-supported efforts.
These include development of national benchmarks, prioritized recommended clinical practices, a coordinated research agenda, an integrated information systems strategy and a national messaging plan.
The plan also identifies opportunities for collaboration with national, state, tribal and local organizations. HHS plans to hold meetings in the spring of 2009 to provide opportunities for public comment.
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