Statement of PennPIRG Education Fund and Consumers Union, March 28, 2006
Today,
the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4) released a
new report that shows 13,711 patients contracted hospital acquired
infections during the first nine months of 2005, and that 13% or 1,782
of those patients died. This represents a 69% increase in reported
infections from the same period of 2004. The increase is likely due to
improved compliance with the reporting rules by hospitals.
PHC4
also estimated that third-party payers, such as private insurers,
Medicare and Medicaid, paid $613.7 million to treat patients with
hospital acquired infections in 2004. Assuming the cost of treating a
patient with a hospital-acquired infection was the same, third party
payers could have paid $721 million to treat these patients in 2005.
This
new report reaffirms the significant costs of hospital-acquired
infections in lives and dollars. Pennsylvanians should demand that
hospitals improve their infection control procedures to prevent
infections.
Unfortunately,
PHC4 chose to not release hospital-specific data. Without this
information, patients and their families are unable to hold their
hospital accountable for preventing infections. In the past, PHC4 has
pointed to spotty compliance with the reporting rules as the reason to
withhold hospital specific data. But while noting that data submission
disparities still exist among hospitals, PHC4 acknowledges that
significant improvements have been made in compliance.
PHC4
has given hospitals more than enough time to be in full compliance with
the reporting rules. While some facilities have made a good faith
effort in reporting, others continue to hide from public scrutiny as
long as hospital-specific reports are not released. PennPIRG Education
Fund and Consumers Union call on PHC4 to release hospital-specific
reports immediately. We also urge the agency to use its enforcement
powers to audit or fine hospitals that remain out of compliance.
