How Chicago ranks on infections acquired in hospitals

Marin General was rated more than 100 percent worse than the national baseline in avoiding MRSA and at or up to 100 percent worse than the national baseline for avoiding C. diff.

Numerous Seattle area’s largest and best-known hospitals may fall short when it comes to preventing patients from acquiring potentially deadly infections during their stays, a new analysis shows.

Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Health Center earned CR’s second-highest Rating for avoiding MRSA infections.

The worst infection rates in the metro area were at the University of Michigan and Henry Ford health systems, with U-M scoring the lowest.

“High ratings for MRSA and C. diff can be a red flag that a hospital isn’t following best practices in preventing infections and prescribing antibiotics”, said Doris Peter, director of Consumer Reports’ Health Ratings Center. “So, for example, 75,000 people die each year in hospitals when they have hospital-acquired infections”, he said.

Centennial Hills Hospital, located near Durango Drive and U.S. 95, was one of nine hospitals nationwide that received the near-perfect ratings across all infection categories; however, the analysis noted that the data may be skewed because of low patient volume.

“From our board of trustees to our physicians and nurses, everyone at our hospitals is committed to enhancing safety for our patients”.

The federal government gathers data on healthcare-acquired infections, both to report it back to the public and to financially penalize the worst offenders.

Perhaps most disturbing of all is that a few hospitals have expressed to Peter that they’re frustrated at the fact that other facilities may be fudging their data. “But I don’t think this is the only piece of information (patients) should use to make their decision”.

Rankings were based on data from 3,000 hospitals.

At UF Health Shands, 51 bloodstream infections for a combined 37,634 patient days in an ICU with a central line inserted placed the hospital 49 percent better than the national rate. Our MRSA infection rate during the same period was based on a statistically small number, which skewed the results. The MRSA and C. diff Ratings are now part of Consumer Reports’ hospital Ratings, which also include central-line associated blood stream infections, surgical-site infections, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. Harborview received the second-worst rating overall, including a middle-rating for avoiding MRSA, a low rating for stopping MRSA and Consumer Reports’ worst rating for avoiding surgical-site infections. They also said Kaleida has seen improvements in colon surgical site infections, C. difficile and central-line infections. Swedish officials didn’t return requests for comment about the report.

Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Rafael did somewhat better, receiving a rating of meeting the national benchmark or slightly exceeding it. But that’s not always the case according to a new investigation by Consumer Reports into hospital-acquired infections.

In a statement released in response to the ratings, University Medical Center officials said the hospital’s new leadership has made offering the highest level of quality of care its top priority. “We pay attention to it”.

“Understanding what the issue is and then implementing evidence-based practices is what infection preventionists do every day”, Flood said.

“We want patients and families to get access to as much information as they need to make informed choices about where they should get their care”, said Bintz.

Peter says the only way patients can try to protect themselves from contracting an HAI, is to speak up for themselves. Germs are increasingly becoming resistant to the top drugs used to treat infections.

“Munroe has established a protocol to identify patients with potential C. diff infections upon admission”.

Insist on a clean hospital room.

Consumer Reports is the world’s largest and most trusted nonprofit, consumer organization working to improve the lives of consumers by driving marketplace change. “It’s something that could happen to us or someone we know the next time we go to the hospital”.