Last Wednesday the CDC released an upbeat piece of epidemiological news: rates of four common types of nosocomial infections decreased at an impressive pace in 2010, bringing hospitals ever closer to the nine milestones set in the Department of Health and Human Services’ Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections.

Another study documenting the costs and mortality associated with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), this time with trauma patients. 

The article from the Archives of Surgery looks at the impact of sepsis, pneumonia, Staphylococcus infections, and C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD) on mortality, length of stay, and inpatient costs.  Here are some of the findings:

Last week we examined the increased emphasis on pay-for-performance mechanisms under the new Affordable Care Act, including the ties between pay-for-performance and reporting of outcomes measures.

With the unveiling of the new Partnership for Patients Initiative last week and elements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) kicking into full swing, there’s an optimism circling the U.S.

Yesterday, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, flanked by leaders of major hospitals, private companies, and medical associations, unveiled Partnership for Patients – an initiative that aims to improve healthcare quality by integration of patient care, widescale implementation of evidence-based best practices for reducing medical errors and adverse events, and utilization of health information technology. Concretely, the initiative has two initial aspirations:  reducing the

Would a combination of bleach and ultraviolet light sanitize hospital rooms?  How might medical practitioners distinguish patients who need antibiotics from those who do not?  What, if any, strategy could be implemented to anticipate when medical devices increase a patient’s risk of infection?  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has awarded $10 million to

Last week, policymakers, healthcare specialists and medical practitioners descended upon the Columbus Club at Union Station in Washington, D.C.

It’s common for investigators to use administrative data to measure and track rates of MRSA infection, but is an administrative database an accurate source for this kind of information?  A new paper co-authored by several ETC researchers says no—instead, administrative data may be misleading when it comes to infection surveillance.

 The following is a guest post from Jo of Head Nurse, who calls it "a simple guide to antibiotic resistance for the liberal arts major."

Are surgical masks effective enough to prevent those infected with the flu from transmitting it to others? Do the masks provide wearers with sufficient protection against infection?