Infection Prevention tools helps target infection prevention efforts
The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology collaborated with the American Hospital Association with funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to develop a new four-part tool which is available to help hospitals and health systems estimate the cost and benefit of interventions to prevent healthcare-associated infections.
In April, AHRQ plans to release a customizable toolkit to help prevent central-line associated bloodstream infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections in intensive care units. AHA will work with AHRQ to share all new resources with the field.
The tools include:
- Intervention Cost Calculator: Compare the cost of implementing an intervention to its potential benefit.
- Deferred Admissions and Reimbursement Tool: Examine the impact of HAI reduction on your ability to admit additional patients.
- Mortality Attribution Tool: Examine the impact of HAI reduction on the number of patient deaths.
- Hospital Acquired Conditions Expenditures Tool: Examine the impact of HAI reduction on your CMS HAC-related reimbursement.
Infection preventionists (IPs) know that healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cost facilities money, but quantifying their impact is a complex and difficult process. With funding from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), APIC has created a suite of tools to help IPs and other healthcare professionals calculate the cost of HAIs to their facilities using several different metrics. APIC and AHRQ want this tool to help healthcare professionals advocate for infection prevention as a means to improve health outcomes and the finances of a healthcare facility.
This Cost Calculator was funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) for the AHRQ Safety Program for Intensive Care Units: Preventing CLABSI and via the Health Research & Educational Trust. Use of the Cost Calculator is provided free of charge and publicly available to all.
