1. Lisa McGiffert Consumers Union 506 West 14th St. Suite A Austin, Texas 78701 www.StopHospitalInfections.org lmcgiffert@consumer.org 512-477-4431 ext 115

2. Millions of people are infected every year Cost billions of dollars every year Preventable There is much hospitals, doctors, health care workers can do that they are not doing

3. Hospital infections by the numbers 2 million patients are infected in hospitals each year (CDC) 1 in 20 hospital patients get an infection while there (CDC) 100,000 patients die from hospital infections each year (CDC) average cost of a serious infection following surgery: $57,000 (AHRQ) cost of infections: $27.5 billion a year in hospital costs alone (CDC, John Jernigan) 76% of hospital infections were billed to Medicare (67%) and Medicaid (PHC4)

4. MRSA by the numbers 95,000 serious MRSA infections in 2005, up from prior estimate of 31,000 in 2000 (CDC) Almost 19,000 hospital patients died in 2005 from serious MRSA infections (CDC) 85% of serious MRSA infections were healthcare acquired (CDC) 58% of health care acquired infection symptoms have community onset (CDC) One of every 20 (5%) of the 368,600 patients treated in U.S. hospitals in 2005 for MRSA died (AHRQ) standardized incidence rate of serious MRSA infections was 32 per 100,000 patients

5. Consumers are driving change because the health care system failed to do so Culture of inevitability and acceptance Semantics of obfuscation Nosocomial to health care associated Getting to zero v. average

6. Consumers Union Campaign Creating a consumer-focused movement Spider web State and national Collect stories – use stories and support story tellers to become effective advocates Local organizations Technical assistance to advocates and legislators Connecting activists with each other Expanding our health care safety work

7. SUMMARY OF STATE ACTIVITY Public reporting of infection rates: CO, CT, DE, FL, IL, MD, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NH, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WA MRSA screening (IL, PA, NJ) Reporting of infection information, not rates (CA, OK, RI). Confidential reporting of infection rates to state agency (NE, NV). Voluntary reporting of infection information (AR).

8. State work Hospital infection reporting laws MRSA screening/prevention Implementation of state laws – advisory committees, promoting reports when issued, public education Accountability of hospitals – working directly to change hospitals in your community

9. Federal/national work: Bills and hearings in Congress on reporting infection rates and MRSA prevention/screening CMS reporting – Hospital Compare CMS nonpayment – ripple effect with other payers National Quality Forum Joint Commission accountability

10. FOOD FOR THOUGHT Restaurants are routinely inspected more frequently (once per year) than nursing homes (every two years), hospitals (once every three years), or physicians offices (never). (Dr. Elizabeth Bancroft, LA County Department of Public Health)