News: HAC rates down, AHRQ says

The rate of most hospital-acquired conditions (HAC) continued to decline from 2014 to 2016, according to the latest national scorecard released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

From 2010 through 2014, the overall rate of HACs, which include events such as catheter-associated urinary tract infections, adverse drug events, and injuries from falls, decreased 17%, JustCoding reported. This resulted in 87,000 fewer deaths and approximately $19.9 billion in cost savings, AHRQ previously reported.

Between 2014 and 2016, this rate fell another 8%, from 98 HACs per 1,000 discharges to 90 per 1,000 discharges, according to the newest AHRQ scorecard data.

AHRQ estimates this decrease eliminated approximately 350,000 HACs, preventing an estimated 8,000 deaths and saving $2.9 billion in healthcare costs. However, rates of certain HACs rose between 2014 and 2016, such as pressure ulcers which increased by 10%.

Editor’s note: This article originally appeared in JustCoding.