This guest post is by Sam R. Watson, senior vice president, Patient Safety and Quality at the Michigan Health & Hospital Association and executive director of the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) Keystone Center. Preventing catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is a significant challenge for U.S. hospitals. Though CAUTIs are often preventable, they account for 35 percent of all hospital-associated infections, about 8,200 deaths and an estimated $565 million in excess costs each year nationally. According to a study in the October issue of the American Journal of Infection Control, a Michigan-based program to engage health care workers and prevent CAUTIs is successfully being implemented nationwide. Since 2007, Michigan hospitals have implemented evidence-based interventions to reduce the incidence of CAUTIs by engaging healthcare workers at the unit and hospital level. The “On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI” initiative brings together key organizations to provide education and coaching support for hospitals to prevent CAUTIs and CAUTI-specific challenges. Roughly 950 hospitals participate in “On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI,” representing the single largest effort to mitigate urinary catheter risk in the nation. This collaborative effort resulted in a 25 percent reduction in CAUTI rates in Michigan, compared to a six percent reduction experienced by hospitals in the remainder of the country. “On the CUSP: Stop CAUTI” is funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and is a joint effort of the Health Research & Educational Trust, MHA Keystone Center, St. John Hospital and Medical Center, VA/University of Michigan Patient Safety Enhancement Program and the Johns Hopkins Medicine Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety and Quality. The MHA Keystone Center and its programs are possible through the generous support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and other state and national programs. Blue Cross collaborates with partners statewide to improve the safety and quality of health care delivered to Michigan residents. To learn more about collaborative quality initiatives in Michigan, visit valuepartnerships.com. Photo Credit: Quinn Dombrowski
