Individuals expect a certain standard of care without complications from medical error when they have to go into the hospital for an elective procedure or for emergency care. Unfortunately many individuals become seriously ill or even fatally injured as a result of. The severity of nationwide substandard hospital care spurred a federally driven effort to reduce the rate of hospital-acquired infections attained by patients during a hospital stay.
According to a report from the Department of Human Services, the federal campaign decreased the rate of acquiring a hospital infection by 17% and reduced hospitals’ costs by $12 billion. The report also shows that the initiative saved over 50,000 lives. Moreover, an estimated 1.3 million hospital infections were prevented from 2010-2013.
The president and CEO of the American Hospital Association stated that the improvement campaign allowed hospitals, clinicians, and experts to come together for the common goal of improving patient care. The initiative to improve patient care includes helping to prevent negligence to avoid hospital-acquired conditions. These conditions can include surgical site infections, adverse drug reactions, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections.
Unfortunately, New Jersey did not fare very well in regards to their prevention of hospital-acquired infections. A report by the Kaiser Health Foundation indicates that the Garden State ranks third from the bottom among states who do not meet the benchmark set by the U.S. Center of Disease and Control for hospital-acquired infections. Forty six percent of NJ hospitals do not meet the necessary benchmarks.
As a result, New Jersey is part of the national initiative to increase patient care and avoid medical errors that can lead to personal injury for the patient. The Partnership for Patients-New Jersey has been developed to improve quality of care. The program reports success including the fact that New Jersey hospitals prevented 9,206 cases of injury to patients and reduced healthcare costs between $102 million and $125 million.
Experienced Cherry Hill NJ Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Law Offices of David Cuneo Represent Victims of Hospital-Acquired Infections
If you or a loved one has been a victim of negligent hospital care, the experiencedCherry Hill medical malpractice lawyers at The Law offices of David Cuneo will fight to obtain the compensation you deserve. Please call us at 856-869-9066 to schedule a free consultation or contact us online.