Hospital Infection Rates Now Publicly Available

The Commonwealth Fund announced today that it has made hospital central line - associated bloodstream infection rates available on its www.whynotthebest.org website. The data source varies by state. Ten states have mandatory reporting. Data from other states are based on the hospital's voluntary reporting to the leapfrog group.

Specifically, a hospital specific standardized infection ratio is reported to enable comparison across hospitals.

Excerpts from the announcement is cut and pasted below:

Hospital Infection Rates Now Available on WhyNotTheBest.org
Users of WhyNotTheBest.org can now search for and compare data from more than 900 hospitals on the incidence of central line–associated bloodstream infections (CLABSIs)—one of the most lethal hospital-acquired complications. The data show wide variation in CLABSI incidence, in spite of strong evidence on how to prevent them. The data are available on WhyNotTheBest.org through a partnership among The Commonwealth Fund, The Leapfrog Group, and Consumers Union. Click here for information on how to locate hospitals reporting CLABSI data.

Recent improvements to the site make it easier to identify the time frame of performance data (by pointing to the information button above the measure names) and to view comparisons and trends (by following the links from the summary report to access "In-Depth Reports").

The goal of WhyNotTheBest.org is to foster health care quality improvement by promoting transparency and public reporting, and by providing tools and case studies to aid organizations in their own improvement efforts. According to patient safety expert Lucian Leape, M.D., public reporting and feedback are the best ways to encourage providers to deliver safer health care.