US Hospitals Study: Improved Patient Safety Saved 50,000 Lives From 2010-13

Efforts to control hospital acquired health problems prevented 50,000 deaths between 2010 and 2013, a governmental report claims.

According to TIME, US hospitals recorded a 17 percent dip in hospital acquired problems like bed sores, pneumonia, adverse drug events, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line associated bloodstream infections and surgical site infections. Decline in incidents were attributed to improved patient safety in hospitals. Further, efforts have saved $ 12 billion in expenditure and directly prevented 1.3 fewer incidents of patient harm in hospital.

"These data represent significant progress in improving the quality of care that patients receive while spending our health care dollars more wisely.  HHS will work with partners across the country to continue to build on this progress," said Sylvia M Burwell, secretary, US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), in a news release.

Infections acquired in hospitals were killing an estimated 98,000 people in US every year in late 1990s, with cases of negligence making frequent headlines. In 2010, 180,000 people covered by medicare alone lost their lives to poor care in hospitals, Reuters reported.

Cut to 2013, the numbers decline and in 2013 alone, 35,000 fewer patients died while 800,000 fewer incidents were reported, translating into $ 8 billion savings in expenditure.

Besides improved patient safety in hospitals, officials also gave credit to federal laws like Affordable Care Act which reward physicians when they combat hospital acquired infections but penalize hospitals with a high rate of readmission.

"Never before have we been able to bring so many hospitals, clinicians and experts together to share in a common goal - improving patient care. We have built an 'infrastructure of improvement' that will aid hospitals and the health care field for years to come and has spurred the results you see today. We applaud HHS for having the vision to support these efforts and look forward to our continued partnership to keep patients safe and healthy," said Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO of the American Hospital Association