Skip to main content

All Access Subscription

Get unlimited access to our full publication and article library.

Get Access Now

Interested in Group Sales? Learn more

<p> Hospital-acquired condition rates are now holding steady after three years of decline.</p>

HAC Rates Hit a Plateau

After three years of decline, the rates of hospital-acquired conditions (HACs) now appear to be holding steady, according to preliminary data from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

The report shows that HACs have declined 17% between 2010 and 2014, with 87,000 fewer patient deaths and $19.1 billion saved in healthcare costs. However, the rate of 121 HACs per 1,000 hospitalizations held steady from 2013 into 2014, suggesting that the HAC rates have plateaued.

Speculation is that the majority of the reductions came from “easy problems to solve,” according to experts. Central line-associated bloodstream infections are down 72% from 2010, the largest reduction. Surgical site infections are down 18%, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections are down by 38%. Post-op venous thromboembolisms saw a 30% decline between 2013 and 2014.

The reasons for the decline in HACs are not fully understood, according to the AHRQ report. Progress coincided with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the financial incentives implemented by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and other payers. There was also an increase in public reporting of hospital data and more public and private initiatives to improve quality and safety in hospitals, including electronic health records and “investments made by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in producing evidence about how to make care safer, investing in tools and training to catalyze improvement, and investments in data and measures to be able to track change." And despite the progress made in decreasing HACs, almost 10% of patients experienced one or more conditions in 2014.

“Despite the progress to date in reducing HACs, much work remains to be done to ensure that the U.S. health care system is as safe as it can possibly be,” according to the report. “The interim for 2014 is 17 percent less than 2010, but it is also unchanged from 2013. HHS and other public and private partners are continuing to work to improve patient safety.” AHRQ is also focusing more efforts on decreasing diagnostic errors and antibiotic resistance.

Look for more coverage on this story in an upcoming issue of Hospital Peer Review.