A report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association shows the progress hospitals are making in reducing infections, preventing falls and decreasing hospital re-admissions.
Data collected by the WHA from nearly 100 community hospitals the Association quality improvement team has worked with over the past four years shows they have reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections 66 percent, reduced falls with injury 26 percent, and decreased sepsis mortality by 16 percent.
WHA spokesperson Kelly Court says state hospitals have been working to reduce patient problems that arise during a hospital stay...
".....when a patient is in the hospital there are things that can happen to them and complications we're trying to avoid. Most of our work is trying to reduce those unexpected events and prevent patients from having complications that can be avoided...."
Court says they've also lowered the readmission rate to 6.8 percent. Court says one area of concern are re-admissions, or patients having to return for further care. She says Wisconsin's readmission rate is below the national average, but that misses the point as patients do not want to have to come back. Fewer re-admissions also lowers costs...
"....and that's not just a concern for patients, that's a concern for people who pay for healthcare because hospital stays add to the healthcare costs and readmission can be expensive...."
The report from the Wisconsin Hospital Association from nearly 100 community hospitals over the past four years shows they have reduced catheter-associated urinary tract infections 66 percent, reduced falls with injury 26 percent, and decreased sepsis mortality 16 percent. More than 1,000 patients die of sepsis in Wisconsin hospitals each year.
The report says In 2016, WHA and its member hospitals are working to reduce sepsis mortality through better early detection in the emergency department and rapid aggressive treatment.
