The financial incentive for hospitals to prevent nosocomial infections under the prospective payment system. An empirical determination from a nationally representative sample

摘要: To clarify the financial incentives for hospitals to prevent nosocomial infections, we analyzed 9423 infections identified in 169526 admissions selected randomly from adult a random sample of US hospitals. By classifying each admission into baseline diagnosis related group (DRG) (after first excluding all diagnoses infection) and final DRG including these diagnoses), found that only 5% 18% would have caused be reclassified higher-paying DRG, depending on extent which physicians recorded infection patients' medical records. The extra payment reclassification, averaged over been no more than $93 per (in 1985 reimbursement rates), constituting hospitals' costs treating infections. Thus, at least 95% cost savings obtained preventing represents gains hospital. ( JAMA 1987;257:1611-1614)