Surgical site infections (SSIs) may increase health care costs, but few studies have conducted an analysis from the perspective of hospital administrators. At 5 hospitals in the Johns Hopkins Health System, Shepard and colleagues identified 25 849 surgical procedures. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definitions, trained infection control practitioners conducted a medical record review and identified 618 SSIs. The data suggests that the total change in profit if all the SSIs were eliminated would be $2 268 589; it would be $12 164 457 if it is assumed 30-day readmissions would not be reimbursed.
Continuing Medical Education