Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Legislating Quality to Prevent Infection—A Primer for Hospitalists
Authors: Jennifer Meddings, Laurence F. McMahon
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Web Exclusives21 February 2017Annals for Hospitalists Inpatient Notes - Legislating Quality to Prevent Infection—A Primer for HospitalistsJennifer Meddings, MD, MSc and Laurence F. McMahon Jr., MD, MPHJennifer Meddings, MD, MScFrom University of Michigan Medical School and University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Search for more papers by this author and Laurence F. McMahon Jr., MD, MPHFrom University of Michigan Medical School and University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M16-2738 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail Three major Medicare policies now target rates of catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) and central line–associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) as performance measures in hospitals. These Medicare value-based purchasing programs are designed to levy financial penalties to hospitals, based on infection rates (Table). Mandated by federal law, the goal of these programs is to motivate hospitals to improve safety while guaranteeing Medicare savings. Like many federal laws, these programs are complex, quickly implemented without prior validation, and poorly understood by the people who are directly affected—patients and clinicians. Many clinicians know that CAUTI and CLABSI are targeted as performance measures but ...References1. Waters TM, Daniels MJ, Bazzoli GJ, Perencevich E, Dunton N, Staggs VS, et al. Effect of Medicare's nonpayment for Hospital-Acquired Conditions: lessons for future policy. JAMA Intern Med. 2015;175:347-54. [PMID: 25559166] doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2014.5486 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Kawai AT, Calderwood MS, Jin R, Soumerai SB, Vaz LE, Goldmann D, et al. Impact of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital-Acquired Conditions policy on billing rates for 2 targeted healthcare-associated infections. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol. 2015;36:871-7. [PMID: 25906824] doi:10.1017/ice.2015.86 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Saving lives and saving money: hospital-acquired conditions update. 2015. Accessed at www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/pfp/interimhacrate2014.html on July 25, 2016. Google Scholar4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National and State Healthcare Associated Infections Progress Report. 2015. Accessed at www.cdc.gov/hai/surveillance/progress-report/ on 25 July 2016. Google Scholar5. Gould C. Catheter-associated urinary tract infection: the national perspective. Essential Hospitals Engagement Network. Patient Harm Series II: new tools to prevent CAUTI. Webinar presented on 16 April 2014. Accessed at http://essentialhospitals.org/webinar/patient-harm-series-ii-new-tools-to-prevent-cauti/ on 18 March 2015. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Michigan Medical School and University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, Michigan.Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the sponsor, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, or the Department of Veterans Affairs.Acknowledgment: The authors thank Laura Petersen, MHSA, for providing assistance with references and manuscript editing.Financial Support: This work was funded by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality grants 2R01HS018334 and 1K08HS019767.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M16-2738.Requests for Single Reprints: Jennifer A. Meddings, MD, MSc, 2800 Plymouth Road, Building 16, Room 430W, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800; e-mail, [email protected]edu. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoAnnals for Hospitalists - 21 February 2017 David H. Wesorick and Vineet Chopra Metrics 21 February 2017Volume 166, Issue 4Page: HO2-HO3KeywordsCentral line associated bloodstream infectionFeversHealth care qualityHealth services researchHospitalistsInpatientsMedicarePerformance measuresResearch quality assessmentSafety ePublished: 21 February 2017 Issue Published: 21 February 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...