Hospitals save $8.6M by cutting infections

Michigan hospitals have collaborated on a variety of safety measures that have helped its membership save lives, as well as save at least $8.6 million over the past year, according to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association (MHA).

According to the MHA's newest patient safety and quality report, the state's hospitals saved more than $6.4 million between March 2010 and March 2011 through its collaborative to reduce central-line bloodstream infections among patients in intensive care units. Another $2.2 million was saved through decreasing cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia.

The two initiatives also saved a combined 115 lives.

"Michigan is well positioned to lead the nation in creating a fully integrated model of care and our state's implementation of healthcare reform," MHA President Spencer Johnson said in a statement.

In addition to the ventilator and central-line initiatives, the hospitals also added more than 300,000 people to the state donor registry, reduced labor inductions and c-sections prior to 39 weeks' gestation by nearly 40 percent, and cut the number of patients who left hospital emergency rooms without seeing a doctor by 29 percent.

To learn more:
- read the MHA press release (.pdf)
- here's the MHA report

Related Articles:
Healthcare-associated infections dropped in 2010 
Basic central-line infection prevention saves $104M, Johns Hopkins says 
Low-cost infection control changes to save $12M yearly