What financial impact will a postsurgical infection have on the patient and his or her family?

Below is a scenario that encompasses several of the concepts discussed in the text. Read and evaluate the situation and select one of the questions to answer in your original posting. Please identify in the subject line which question you are addressing by ‘Case Study’ and then the number of the question you are addressing.

Carmen Gonzales RN, has worked as a charge nurse in the Cardiac Surgery unit at a large urban hospital for the past 3 years. Carmen has recently become concerned about what seems to be an increase in infection rates of post–coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients’ surgical incisions. Through the hospital’s Electronic Medical Records system, Carmen is able to do a quick review of discharge summaries for cases done in the previous month, and learns that during this time, three patients had incisional infections that required intravenous antibiotics and extended hospital stays. Carmen considers the seriousness of these infections in light of their effect on the patient’s overall health, as well as their financial impact on both the patient and the hospital. Carmen knows that in almost all cases, postsurgical incisional infections are preventable and decides to take action to reduce the rate of these infections in her unit.

Question to answer:
What financial impact will a postsurgical infection have on the patient and his or her family?