Bay Area hospital collaboration reduces hospital-acquired infections

A voluntary affiliation of 39 hospitals in five San Francisco Bay Area counties has announced that its members reduced the number of two major types of hospital infections dramatically between April 2006 and the end of 2007, saving an estimated 194 lives in the process. During the 21-month period, 34 of the 39 hospitals in the group prevented an estimated 60 percent of the cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia, and an estimated 66 percent of cases of central line-associated bloodstream infections. The 120 lives saved by reducing ventilator-related infections saved an estimated $1.2 million, and the 74 lives saved by reducing central line-related infections saved an estimated $2.7 million, according to the collaborative.