Summary

Creates the Texas Health Care-Associated Infection Reporting System for the public reporting of information regarding health care-associated infections.

Background

Over two million Americans pick up a new infection during their hospital stay, and 90,000 patients die each year from hospital infections. Public disclosure allows hospitals to see how they compare to their competitors and gives them an incentive to improve and gives consumers information so they can make fully informed health care choices. /1/

Political Context

15 states have passed some type of hospital infection reporting law. In 2005, SB872 created the Advisory Panel on Health Care Associated Infections to develop recommendations for reporting hospital-acquired infection information to the public. The committee final report is available here, and recommends public disclosure of hospital infection rates.

Political Context

This bill is supported by a campaign by Consumers Union's Stop Hospital Infections project.

Additional Links

/1/ www.stophospitalinfections.org (a Project of Consumers Union)