Healthcare-associated Infections Keep Industry On High Alert

Although recent Ebola cases have garnered the national spotlight, healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) claim the lives of 99,000 Americans every year. Not only is the human toll of HAIs staggering, the cost of treating them in the U.S. is estimated by theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to be upwards of $20 billion—one of the reasons why hospitals are facing reductions in Medicare payments if they don’t reduce HAIs by 2015.

Much of the effort to reduce infections centers on protocols and process. However, there’s general consensus and increasing evidence that the design of the built environment plays an important role in preventing HAIs in healthcare facilities.