On the Importance of Incentives in Hospital Infection Control Spending

The Question

How can hospitals be incentivized to implement hospital infection control measures?

What we found

Policies that encourage infection control at the regional level, minimize incentives to free-ride, and promote transparency in nosocomial infection reporting could contribute to efforts to reduce the burden of hospital infections.

Why it matters

Each year in the United States, more than 2 million patients acquire hospital infections, resulting in over 90,000 deaths.  Policies must correct incentives to encourage infection control measures in hospitals.