The CDC estimates that every year 2,000,000 people contract hospital acquired infections (HAIs), resulting in approximately 90,000 “preventable” deaths. 

The majority of these nosocomial infections are the result of implanted medical devices, which provide a surface for bacterial growth and, when penetrating the skin, a route for external bacteria to enter the bloodstream.  If these infections reach the bloodstream, they lengthen average hospital stays by about two weeks and cost up to $50,000 to treat, resulting in approximately $30 billion in direct medical expenses in the US every year.  Catheter-related bloodstream infections are one of the leading causes of HAIs, alone representing the 8th leading cause of death in the US at a cost of $11 billion per year.

The growing epidemic of HAIs, coupled with the rising prevalence of multi-drug resistant organisms, has received increasing attention over the past several years across the healthcare industry.  Many states have responded by mandating the reporting of hospital infection rates, with pending or approved legislation in 39 states as compared to only two states in 2003.  In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently announced a new policy eliminating reimbursement for “preventable” hospital infections, including catheter-related blood stream infections.  This has placed extreme financial pressure on hospitals across the country, which will now be forced to pay for HAIs directly, and has set a new standard for achieving “zero infection rates.” 

Hospitals have already begun responding by increasing their scrutiny of sterilization practices as well as advancing new technology adoption.