Healthcare-Associated Infections

Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) exact a significant toll on human life. They are among the leading causes of preventable death in the United States, accounting for an estimated 1.7 million infections and 99,000 associated deaths in 2002. In hospitals, they are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. In addition to the substantial human suffering caused by healthcare-associated infections, the financial burden attributable to the infections is staggering. It is estimated that healthcare-associated infections cause $28 to $33 billion in excess healthcare costs each year.

For these reasons, the prevention and reduction of healthcare-associated infections is a top priority for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The HHS Steering Committee for the Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections was established in July 2008. The Steering Committee was charged with developing a comprehensive strategy to prevent and reduce healthcare-associated infections and issuing a plan which establishes national goals for healthcare-associated infection prevention and outlines key actions for achieving identified short- and long-term objectives. The plan is also intended to enhance collaboration with external stakeholders to strengthen coordination and impact of national efforts.

The development process of the HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections was intended to be inclusive. The effort represents a culmination of several months of deliberation by subject matter experts across HHS to identify key actions in the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. The initial version of the Action Plan was released in January 2009. Concurrently, comments were invited and requested from the public.

The Department thanks the organizations and individuals who submitted written comments on the Action Plan. A revision to the Action Plan has been developed which incorporates comments received during this initial comment period. The links listed below will take you to the revised Action Plan document:

Final HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections (complete document, printable PDF - 424 KB) (June 2009)

Final HHS Action Plan to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections (in sections) (June 2009)

Please note the newly added Appendix G regarding revisions to the Action Plan metrics and targets. Additional documents, including a summary of changes to the initial version of the Action Plan and an expanded Executive Summary section, are in development and will be posted soon.

For more information regarding the issue of healthcare-associated infections, contact:
Ms. Rani Jeeva at Rani.Jeeva@hhs.gov (e-mail), (202) 205-5245 (phone), or (202) 690-7425 (fax).

Stakeholder Meetings

The Department is committed to the continuous engagement of stakeholders and the public on the issue of preventing and reducing healthcare-associated infections. To that end, a series of engagement meetings will be held during the summer of 2009. The purpose of the meetings is to obtain feedback from stakeholders regarding:

Potential for broad adoption of a singular national set of healthcare-associated infection reduction metrics and targets;
Considerations (needs, barriers, and potential solutions) for operationalizing the metrics and targets in a meaningful manner;
How to create accountability in a multi-faceted approach to reducing healthcare-associated infections; and
Focus and approach to a messaging campaign aimed at reducing healthcare-associated infections.

The meetings will take place in:

Denver, Colorado
Saturday, July 25, 2009

Chicago, Illinois
Thursday, July 30, 2009

Seattle, Washington
Thursday, August 27, 2009

For more information regarding registration for any of these meetings, contact Ms. Amber Brummer at abrummer@keystone.org or (970) 513-5805 (phone).