Infections in patients at surgical site (SSIs) in Veterans Affairs hospitals costs them twice as much as patients who do not have this complication. The greatest SSI-related costs are among patients undergoing neurosurgery.
SSIs are associated with increased complications and death. Treatment can include long courses of antibiotics, physical therapy, hospital readmissions and reoperations. Costs associated with SSIs after surgery have been under scrutiny since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid stopped paying for increased costs associated with SSIs after some surgical procedures because many of these infections are potentially preventable.
Research Says Narrow-Spectrum UV Light May Reduce Surgical Infections
Surgical wound infections remain a serious and stubborn problem, killing up to 8,200 patients a year in the U.S, in spite of major efforts to keep operating rooms sterile.
Advertisement
The authors examined total, superficial and deep (more serious infections involving tissue under the skin, organs or implanted devices) SSIs in patients from 129 VA hospitals in 2010.
Among 54,233 patients who underwent surgery, 1,756 (3.2 percent) experienced an SSI. Overall, 0.8 percent of the patients had a deep SSI and 2.4 percent a superficial SSI. The average costs for patients without and with an SSI were $31,580 and $52,620, respectively. The relative costs were 1.43 times greater for patients with an SSI than for patients without. Patients with a deep SSI had associated costs 1.93 times greater and superficial SSIs had costs 1.25 times greater. The proportion of surgical patients with an SSI in the VA study group was consistent with that among the private sector National Surgical Quality Improvement Program cohort, which is used to measure surgical quality in the private sector. In high-volume specialties, the greatest average cost related to SSIs was $23,755 among patients undergoing neurosurgery, followed by patients undergoing orthopedic, general, peripheral vascular and urologic surgeries. The authors estimate the Veterans Health Administration could save millions of dollars annually if hospitals reduced their SSI rates.
"Hospital administrators, policymakers, surgeons and hospital epidemiologists can use these data to make a business case for quality improvement efforts focused on SSIs."
Source: Eurekalert
"Hospital administrators, policymakers, surgeons and hospital epidemiologists can use these data to make a business case for quality improvement efforts focused on SSIs."
Source: Eurekalert
Medical Tourism
Medical tourism can be broadly defined as provision of ''cost effective'' private medical care in collaboration with the tourism industry for patients needing surgical and other forms of specialized treatment.
Advertisement
 New Guidelines to Minimize Surgical InfectionsHealthcare Infection Society (HIS) has come up with new guidelines to prevent infection in minor surgery. | Advertisement
|
Minimally Invasive Robot-assisted Surgery as Safe as Open Surgery in Older Men
Robot-assisted surgeries which are minimally invasive may actually be as safe as open surgery for patients over 65 years of age
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Hospital News
Is hand hygiene important in hospital settings? Clean hands can help patients and staff in healthcare settings to avoid healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). So, wash your hands
Antibiotic resistance may result from poor hygiene practices in hospitals or other medical facilities, stated study.
Will patient care be better if the specialist knows the referred doctor? Yes, friendly relationships among physicians have a major impact on the quality of care.
The novel device developed is integrated into a device small enough and cheap enough for medical professionals slip into their pocket as they travel to remote areas.
Heart Health Meter (HHM) developed by Madhavbaug under its 'Save My Heart's mission uses a scorecard that measures various stages of heart health.