At least some in the purchaser community, who have been paying 20 percent and 25 percent increases in their health insurance premiums, will take notice of this rising tide.
Heart bypass patients with hospital-acquired infections were more likely to die, be readmitted and have longer lengths of stay than those patients without infections.
It is positive that more hospitals are doing better financially. However, it should still be a concern that 27 percent of Pennsylvania hospitals are losing money.
This is the first report in the country that will actually identify real payments.
Everybody who goes into a hospital is at risk because the hospitals don't have the process and systems in place to prevent infections.
In FY05, statewide average total and operating margins reached their highest levels since FY94, when PHC4 began publicly reporting these measures for all hospitals. The growth in FY05 financial margins was driven by a 90 percent increase in operating income.
The drop in mortality is a tribute to Pennsylvania's top-notch surgeons and hospitals, as well as further evidence that public reporting works. The next frontier should be to reduce readmissions associated with infections, particularly hospital-acquired infections.
There are still a significant number of hospitals ... that are not benefiting from the overall increase in revenue.
It is not a fact that people must get hospital-acquired infections. The goal ought to be the prevention of every single hospital-acquired infection.
