PPACA Care Provisions: Hospital-Acquired Infections

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act penalizes hospitals by reducing payments for treatment of hospital-acquired infections and imposes monetary penalties of hospitals with the worst HAI rates. The severity of this problem is covered in my previous posts below. In the US 1.7 million HAIs occur per year, killing 99,000 people. This is more people than are killed yearly by car accidents, breast cancer and AIDS combined. The annual cost of these infections is $35-45 billion.

Hospital-Acquired Infections September 1, 2010
Hospital-Acquired Infections October 6, 2010
Hospital-Acquired Infections July 11, 2011
Hospital Hazards September 1, 2011 (section on HAIs)