After years of criticism from California medical malpractice attorneys over the pitiful reporting of hospital infection rates, California authorities have finally made progress in this area. On Friday, regulators released infection rates of hundreds of hospitals and facilities across the state. The report will inform Californians about infection rates, potentially helping save hundreds of lives in California every year.
For years now, California has had a dismal hospital infection reporting record, and has lagged far behind other states in this area. Last year, the Department of Public Health released its first-ever infection report on hospital-acquired infections, and the results were widely criticized as being shoddy and inadequate.
This year, the picture is markedly different. The reporting this year includes information about some of the deadliest hospital-acquired infections. The report contains data that will help consumers sift through hospital safety information, and make the right decision about the care they choose.
This year’s report includes information about central line-associated bloodstream infections. These deadly infections are associated with as many as 28,000 deaths across the country every year. According to the report, 93% of hospitals in California have reported compliance rates with checklists for prevention of central line-associated bloodstream infections. Besides these infections, the report also includes data about other infections like MRSA and C-Difficile infections. The report also includes infections that occur throughout the hospital, and not only in specific departments.
The report which includes data between 2009 and 2010, for the very first time allows consumers to compare hospitals across the state based on their infection rates. In 2008, Niles Law, which requires hospitals to report infection rates, was passed. Since then, several states have made great progress reporting infection rates, and broadening the scope of information that consumers have access to.