Hospital-acquired Infections in Pennsylvania 2005 - Key Findings
In 2005, hospitals reported 19,154 cases in which patients contracted an infection while in the hospital, a rate of 12.2 per 1,000 cases. The hospitalizations in which these infections occurred amounted to 394,129 hospital days and $3.5 billion in hospital charges. Additional details for cases with and without hospital-acquired infections are displayed below:
Surgery performed on the small and large intestines represented the largest percentage of surgical site infections at 9.0 percent followed closely by surgery for blockages in blood vessels, including blood vessels of the heart, which accounted for 8.9 percent. Surgery for osteoarthritis and fractures of the leg accounted for 6.1 percent of surgical site infections.
Patients admitted for heart failure represented the largest percentage of urinary tract infections at 7.1 percent. Patients admitted for heart attack and other forms of heart disease accounted for 6.4 percent. Patients admitted for osteoarthritis or fractures of the leg accounted for 5.3 percent of urinary tract infections.
Patients admitted for heart attack, other forms of heart disease, and some types of peripheral artery disease represented the largest percentage of pneumonia at 9.2 percent. Patients admitted for lung diseases accounted for 7.2 percent. Stroke patients accounted for 4.8 percent of pneumonia cases.
Patients admitted for lung diseases represented the largest percentage of bloodstream infections at 7.6 percent. Patients admitted for heart attack, other forms of heart disease, and some types of peripheral artery disease accounted for 5.1 percent. Patients admitted for heart failure accounted for 3.3 percent of bloodstream infections.
Commercial Insurance Payments for Patients
with and without Hospital-acquired Infections
Pennsylvania hospitals reported data for 276,523 cases covered by commercial insurance. Of these cases, 1,522 (5.5 per 1,000 cases) had a hospital-acquired infection. The hospitalizations in which these infections occurred amounted to $82 million in commercial insurance payments.
The average payment for a hospitalization in which a patient acquired an infection was $53,915, while the payment when a hospital-acquired infection was not present averaged $8,311. The differences in payment varied by the condition that brought a patient to the hospital. For example:
For patients receiving treatment for circulatory system disorders, the average payment for a hospitalization in which the patient acquired an infection was $71,516, while the payment when a hospital-acquired infection was not present averaged $12,056.
For patients receiving treatment for musculoskeletal system disorders, the average payment for a hospitalization in which the patient acquired an infection was $36,983, while the payment when a hospital-acquired infection was not present averaged $10,834.
For women receiving treatment for reproductive system disorders, the average payment for a hospitalization in which the patient acquired an infection was $15,587, while the payment when a hospital-acquired infection was not present averaged $5,942.
For each type of infection, the following table shows the number of cases reported and the average insurance payment for hospitalizations in which patients contracted an infection:
Commercial Insurance Payments by Peer Group
For this report, hospitals were categorized into one of four peer groups based on the complexity of services offered (including the percent of surgical procedures performed) and the number of patients treated. Peer Group 1 offered the most complex services and, on average, treated the most patients. In contrast, Peer Group 4 offered the least complex services and treated, on average, the fewest number of patients. The average commercial insurance payment for each of the peer groups are described below:
Infection Rates by Age
Hospital-acquired Infections by Age
The rate of urinary tract infections was progressively higher with increasing age (as shown in the graph above), while the change in rates for the other types of hospital-acquired infections was less dramatic across the different age groups.
Surgical site infections had the highest rate of all the hospital-acquired infections in every age group, except the patients aged 60 years and over, in which urinary tract infections were the most common type of hospital-acquired infection.
Infection Rates by Hospital Location
Hospital-acquired infection rates varied by hospital location. The following table displays the infection rate for hospitals located in a particular geographic region of Pennsylvania:
Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland counties
