AHRQ Analysis Finds Hospital-Acquired Conditions Declined By Nearly 1 Million From 2014 to 2017

National efforts to reduce hospital-acquired conditions such as adverse drug events and healthcare-associated infections helped prevent 20,500 deaths and save $7.7 billion between 2014 and 2017, according to a report released today by AHRQ and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions Updated Baseline Rates and Preliminary Results 2014-2017 estimates that 910,000 hospital-acquired conditions were avoided and the rate was reduced by 13 percent from 2014 to 2017. AHRQ calculates and analyzes data on these conditions to help CMS track efforts to reduce patient harm by 20 percent from 2014 to 2019. Continuing reductions in hospital-acquired conditions are a signal that patient safety tools and resources developed by AHRQ and other initiatives by federal agencies are helping to make care safer. Access the press release

AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions

The AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions Updated Baseline Rates and Preliminary Results 2014–2017 (PDF, 545 KB) is a report that shows progress toward the goal of reducing hospital-acquired conditions (HACs). These are conditions that a patient develops while in the hospital being treated for something else.

The National Scorecard on Rates of Hospital-Acquired Conditions, 2014 to 2017, the most recent report, shows that from 2014 to 2017 (preliminary data), HACs fell by 13 percent, saving about 20,500 lives and about $7.7 billion in healthcare costs.

Previous reports:

Updated Baseline Rates and Preliminary Results 2014–2016 (PDF, 1.2 MB)
Interim data, 2015 (PDF, 260 KB)
Final data, 2014 (PDF, 278 KB)
Interim data, 2014 (PDF, 178 KB)
Final data, 2013 (PDF, 757 KB)
Interim data, 2013 (PDF, 727 KB)
Updated Information on the Annual Hospital-Acquired Condition Rate: 2011 and 2012 (PDF, 200 KB)

Methods To Estimate the Baseline 2010 PFP National Hospital-Acquired Condition Rate (PDF, 237 KB)

To improve how the Nation tracks its progress on reducing HACs and other adverse events, AHRQ is developing the AHRQ Quality and Safety Review System. This patient safety surveillance system will capture information about HACs and other adverse events directly from electronic health records.

AHRQ awarded a contract in 2016 that developed methods and estimated the incremental inpatient financial costs and additional inpatient mortality associated with 10 selected hospital-acquired conditions. The final report of this project, Estimating the Additional Hospital Inpatient Cost and Mortality Associated With Selected Hospital-Acquired Conditions, can be found here. (PDF, 1.61 MB)

Page last reviewed January 2019
Page originally created May 2014

Internet Citation: AHRQ National Scorecard on Hospital-Acquired Conditions. Content last reviewed January 2019. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/professionals/quality-patient-safety/pfp/index.html