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 suggests that reducing infections after heart surgery could save Medicare $441 million annually. Researchers from the University of Michigan found that hospitals with higher infection rates had nearly twice as many infections and incurred significantly higher Medicare spending compared to hospitals with lower infection rates.
If U.S. hospitals could improve their outcomes to match the best-performing hospitals, they could prevent about 2,600 infections and reduce Medicare spending by $441 million each year. The findings highlight the importance of understanding why some hospitals achieve better outcomes and how to disseminate these best practices nationwide.
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