Bill calls for releasing hospital infection rates

DENVER - Consumers would be able to review hospital infectionrates to help decide where to seek medical care under legislationthat advanced Thursday in a Colorado Senate committee.

House Bill 1045 would require Colorado hospitals to report surgery-related infections to a national clearinghouse that would analyze thedata and post it on the Internet.

"You will be able to go on the Web site and find out what theinfection rates are at your local hospital," said Sen. Moe Keller, D-Wheat Ridge, sponsor of HB1045.

The information would be available through National HealthcareSafety Network in 2008.

HB1045 was approved unanimously in the Senate Health and HumanServices Committee and now goes to the Appropriations Committee.

Hospital-acquired infections kill 90,000 Americans each year andresult in 1.9 million others having to seek additional medical care,according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Consumer advocates have been pressing for more information abouthospital infection rates for years.

"We believe this is a huge consumer safety issue," said CarrieCurtiss, policy director for the Colorado Consumer Health CareInitiative. "We believe this information should be available toconsumers so they can make comparisons and make the best decisionsfor their families."

But it is a move that is also embraced by some of Colorado'shospitals. City-owned Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs has beensubmitting its infection rate to the CDC voluntarily for eight years.

"This is going to ensure that everyone is using the same provencriteria, with the focus on the goal of safer patient care," saidLynn Baldvins, Memorial's infection prevention program manager.

Baldvins said Memorial's infection rate dropped when it startedreporting its data to the CDC. It's a case where measuring somethingcreates a benchmark for improvement, she said.

"If we don't best the benchmarks or have zero as our rate, we arenot doing a good job," she said. "We are looking at what we can dodifferently to reduce risk to patients."

Keller contends giving this information to consumers could reducesoaring medical costs, too, if the move leads to lower overallinfection rates.

HB1045 is one of several bills that aim to have hospitals be moreforthcoming with information. This week, the Senate voted 20-15 toapprove Senate Bill 141. Called the Health Care Transparency Act, itrequires hospitals and surgery centers to report information aboutfinances, resources, patient loads and staffing levels.

Health care facilities that fail to report under SB141 would befined $500 a day.