Profession
Maryland law will require hospitals to report infections
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted May 22, 2006
A Maryland law, supported by the state hospital association, that goes into effect July 1 will require hospitals publicly to report patients who acquire infections at their facilities. Hospital officials will report infections to the Maryland Health Care Commission for posting on its publicly available Web site.
Another bill would have required hospitals to test newly admitted patients for infections, but the Maryland Hospital Assn. opposed it, and it died in committee in April.
Florida, Illinois, Missouri, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia have similar laws in place. So far, only Florida and Pennsylvania publicly have reported aggregate hospital-acquired infection figures.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that every year 2 million patients acquire infections while in the hospital, and 90,000 of those people die.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/05/22/prbf0522.htm.
