Healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs, are infections people acquire while receiving treatment for another condition in a healthcare setting. HAIs can be acquired anywhere healthcare is delivered and may be caused by any infectious agent, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, as well as other less common types of pathogens. About 1 in 20 hospitalized patents will contract an HAI, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
HAIs can be deadly -- in 2002, they accounted for for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths. In addition to the cost in human life and health, HAIs account for up to $33 billion in excess healthcare costs each year.
Primaris promotes evidence-based practices to reduce or eliminate HAIs in Missouri. As an official partner in the federal Partnership for Patients initiative, Primaris is committed to a 40 percent reduction in preventable HAIs and a 20 percent reduction in hospital re-admissions within 30 days by the end of 2013.
Infection prevention can focus on four distinct catagories. For more information, please click any of the links below, or call 1-800-735-6776.
Providers wishing to get started may download the official Medicare QIO toolkit on HAIs.
Primaris has free quality improvement resources for this topic.
Resource Materials > Physician References
Healthcare-Associated Infections Toolkit
Publication #: MO-11-10-HOS GEN
This toolkit is a compilation of evidence-based research and guidelines, recommendations, tools and resources to be used in work on the HAI components of the CMS/QIO 10th Scope of Work (SOW).
Preventing Healthcare-Associated Infections
