HAI at Center of Rising Costs

BARRINGTON, Ill. --- July 14, 2011 -- They represent the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. They kill more Americans each year than prostate cancer and breast cancer combined yet relatively little attention is paid to their prevention. Healthcare Associated Infections (HAIs) cost the US Healthcare system a largely avoidable $35B each year, averaging approximately $1,100 per patient admitted. This condition, which impacts one in every twenty hospital patients, is the subject of a new whitepaper from GE Healthcare, released today.

"The numbers are staggering," said Dr. Brandon Savage, co-author of "The Cost of Healthcare Associated Infections- Measured in Lives, Reputations and Dollars" and Chief Medical Officer at GE Healthcare IT. "Adding to the tragic tale they tell is the fact that the incidence has only decreased minimally over the past 20 years."

"The total cost added to the system can't be ignored," added Mark Segal, co-author and Vice President of Government and Industry Affairs at GE Healthcare IT. "As the government grapples with controlling healthcare costs, reducing HAIs offers a very real opportunity to reduce operating costs while maximizing reimbursements and avoiding future penalties."

The paper, which explores the problem and offers hope for emerging technologies to help address conditions that affect 1.7M inpatients each year, is available for download from GE Healthcare here.

To further illustrate this problem, GE prepared a data visualization which is available as a low-res reference and a hi-res, media-ready download. It's available today at http://www.gereports.com

Corey Miller
GE Healthcare IT Global Public and Media Relations Manager
corey.miller@ge.com
1-414-469-5499