Reducing infections after heart surgery could save Medicare $441 million per year
Where a patient undergoes heart surgery can significantly affect their risk of infection following the procedure, with some patients facing more than double the risk of others, according to a new Michigan Medicine study.
A new study from Michigan Medicine highlights the potential for significant savings in Medicare spending by reducing infections after heart surgery. The research found that hospitals with higher infection rates for heart surgery patients could achieve outcomes similar to those with the lowest rates, preventing approximately 2,600 infections and reducing Medicare spending by $441 million annually.
The study, published in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, analyzed Medicare claims from nearly 240,000 cardiac surgery procedures performed at 1,000 hospitals between 2018 and 2023. The findings underscore the importance of understanding why some hospitals achieve better outcomes and disseminating best practices across the country to improve patient recovery and lower healthcare costs.
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