2013 Annual Hospital-Acquired Condition Rate and Estimates of Cost Savings and Deaths Averted From 2010 to 2013.

Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality; October 2015. AHRQ Publication No.16-0006-EF.

Hospital-acquired conditions (HACs), some of which are never events, have been an important focus of patient safety initiatives, with reporting requirements and Medicare nonpaymentleading to significant efforts to prevent these conditions. This update to a prior report from AHRQ details and confirms the declining rates in HACs between 2010 and 2013. The analysis indicated that hospitalized patients experienced 1.3 million fewer HACs over the 3 years (2011–2013) than if the HAC rate had remained at the 2010 level. Consequently, the report estimates a $12 billion savings in health care costs and 50,000 fewer hospital patient deaths. These improvements coincided with nationwide efforts to reduce adverse events, such as thePartnership for Patients initiative and Medicare payment reform. The remaining burden of HACs suggests continued investment in this patient safety problem is needed.