Hospitals continue to report decreases in the rate of hospital-acquired conditions, according to national data released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in June. Overall, AHRQ estimates that 350,000 HACs were avoided between 2014 and 2016 (8 percent reduction), in addition to more than 2 million avoided between 2010 and 2014 (17 percent reduction). AHRQ credits initiatives, such as the Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks, working in collaboration with federal agencies, private partners and patient advocacy organizations, for improvements in patient safety, including HACs.

Although the data show gains overall, the data for specific conditions vary. For example, the number of ventilator-associated pneumonias fell 32 percent while pressure ulcers increased by 10 percent. AHRQ Director Gopal Khanna comments, “These data not only help us track how we’re doing, but they help us set the target for where we need to go.”