Health care-acquired conditions (HACs)
HLT 308V Week 3 DQ 2
In 2011, the Center for Medicine and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a list of health care-acquired conditions (HACs). What actions has your health care organization (or health care organizations in general) implemented to manage or prevent these “never events” from happening within their health care facilities? Support your response with two peer-reviewed articles.
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Health care-acquired conditions (HACs)
Introduction
Healthcare-acquired conditions (HACs) are a major cause of patient harm and financial burden in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 30% of all hospitalizations occur because of HACs. HACs are not only costly but also can be dangerous as well. For instance, a recent study found that one in four patients hospitalized with an infection was suffering from an underlying condition that could have been prevented with appropriate care management and treatment.
What are HACs?
Healthcare-acquired conditions (HACs) are infections that are acquired in a healthcare setting. HACs include MRSA, C. difficile and other drug-resistant bacteria, among other infections that can be spread through contaminated equipment or surfaces.
Estimates show that each year more than 2 million people develop an HAC while receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. These costs include:
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$21 billion in direct medical costs alone;
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$45 billion in lost productivity;
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$13 billion in additional health care costs because of these cases; and
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Over 90 percent of these infections occur within 30 days of discharge from the hospital or during post-discharge follow up visits with physicians or their families
What is the cost of HACs?
HACs are a growing burden on the healthcare system and individual. In fact, they’re one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in the United States. Their costs are estimated to be over $100 billion each year, with nearly half a million people filing for bankruptcy due to an HAC every month! That number doesn’t even include what happens when someone has a serious condition that isn’t caught right away—the stress alone can cause complications and depression as well as additional health care costs down the line.
The cost of treating HACs is more than just financial: it affects your ability to function normally at home or work while you’re recovering from them (and there may even be legal ramifications). This means that one day someone might need surgery because their skin was damaged during an infection caused by something else (like getting involved in an accident), but instead of being able to go home afterward they’ll spend all night at the hospital waiting room because this kind of thing happens often enough that most hospitals have staff dedicated solely towards handling these issues efficiently so patients don’t miss any important appointments while recovering from surgery-related complications like infection or blood loss caused by weak veins near where major arteries intersect under heavy bandages covering wounds after surgery.”
What is CMS doing to prevent HACs?
CMS is working to prevent HACs by implementing a program that focuses on patient safety. The Partnership for Patients is an initiative that seeks to reduce the incidence of HACs by improving the quality of care, reducing errors and improving communication between providers so they can coordinate care more effectively.
The Partnership for Patients focuses on several key areas:
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Improving quality of care through programs such as Meaningful Use (MU) goals and incentives;
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Improving communication between providers;
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Reducing unnecessary admissions through improved flow management strategies;
What are some other important initiatives related to preventing HACs?
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CMS is supporting the Partnership for Patients’ HAC Reduction Scorecard.
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CMS is supporting the Partnership for Patients’ HAC Reduction Dashboard.
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CMS is supporting the Partnership for Patients’ HAC Reduction Benchmarks.
Takeaway:
The takeaway should be a summary of the article, with an emphasis on action. The takeaway can be as short as a single sentence and is often used to direct readers back to the article for further reading.
The takeaway should be focused on the reader’s needs, not just the writer’s. This means that it should include tips or advice that will help you improve your health or prevent future problems and costs associated with HACs
Conclusion
HHS is committed to preventing HACs across the continuum of care. We know that every potential infection can be deadly, so we’re taking action to prevent them in a variety of ways. From encouraging hospitals to share information about their infection control practices with each other and patients, to enhancing electronic health records systems that allow providers to share information more easily, there are steps being taken by all stakeholders across the country that will help reduce the risk of infection and save lives.
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