The National Scorecard on Rates of Hospital-Acquired Conditions shows that about 125,000 fewer patients died and more than $28 billion in healthcare costs was saved from 2010 through 2015 due to a 21 percent drop in hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). In total, hospital patients experienced more than 3 million fewer HACs from 2010 through 2015. HACs include adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, pressure ulcers and surgical site infections, among others.
AHRQ developed and tested much of the evidence on how to prevent HACs. For example, one of the tools hospitals use most frequently is AHRQ’s Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP), a proven method that combines improvement in safety culture, teamwork and communication with evidence-based practices to prevent harm and make the care patients receive safer. Access materials related to the scorecard, including AHRQ’s press release, AHRQ tools that helped hospitals achieve this progress, an infographic that highlights report findings and an AHRQ Views blog post by Director Andy Bindman, M.D.