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Category Archives: HHS

Federal plan to reduce HAIs: public meetings

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Let’s switch back for a moment to MRSA and other infections in hospitals. An estimated 1.7 million healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) occur in the US each year. Approximately 99,000 of the infected die. Care for the infected costs the health care system $33 billion (yes, with a B) each year. The US Department of Health and Human [...]

Hospital gives patient MRSA. Should Medicare reimburse?

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You have until June 13th to tell the government what you think. Details of how to comment at the end of this post because they are complicated. Here’s the back-story: Until recently, hospitals were reimbursed by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (part of the US Department of Health and Human Services) whenever they provided [...]

HAIs: Congress weighs in

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Today, the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on hospital-acquired infections, led by committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.). The witness list is here. A Government Accountability Office report that was presented during the hearing is here. Its title captures the committee’s point of view: “Leadership Needed from HHS to Prioritize [...]