The MedSafe Compliance Corner

• Some Hospital-Acquired Infections Down
• Final Rule Issued To Protect Against Fraud
• CMS to Pay $3 Billion in Hospital Underpayments
• Fentanyl Patch Can Be Deadly to Children
• $200 Billion Projected in Medicare Savings

Some Hospital-Acquired Infections Down

HENs (Hospital Engagement Networks) are a little-known entity that is part of Partnership for Patients, a nationwide public-private collaboration sponsored by the  Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to make health care safer and less costly. They operate by targeting and reducing the millions of preventable injuries and complications from HAIs (hospital acquired infections) and HACs (hospital acquired conditions), and by working to help identify solutions and spread them to other hospitals and health care providers.

Clostridium difficile (also known as C. difficile or C. diff.) is a bacteria that causes diarrhea and other health issues. It is linked to 14,000 deaths annually, and what is more alarming, mortalities have jumped 400 percent between 2000 and 2007, in part due to a stronger germ strain. During the year 1999-2000, 3,000 deaths occurred; the number of deaths skyrocketed to 14,000 in the year 2006-2007. While other health care-associated infections, such as bloodstream infections, are declining, C. difficile infections (CDIs) have reached historic highs. Hospital stays related to CDIs are at 337,000 annually, adding at least $1 billion in extra costs to the health care system, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are the 4^th leading cause of death in the United States. Nearly one in every 20 patients acquires an HAI following hospitalization, resulting in 100,000 deaths per year. HAIs kill more people than prostate and breast cancer combined, and they pose a far more serious mortality risk than AIDS and automobile accidents.