LENGTH OF STAY, HOSPITAL-ACQUIRED INFECTIONS AND RELATED COSTS

The Foundation took a closer look at the relationship between the length of a hospital stay and the probability of incurring a complication, specifically hospital-acquired infections (HAI). 

Research includes an examination of costs associated with HAIs as well as analysis of discharge data from Maryland hospitals for a 45-month period and concludes that longer length of stays can increase the probability of a complication.

J. Graham Atkinson, D.Phil., Executive Vice President for Research and Policy at the Foundation authored “The Relationship Between Length of Stay and the Probability of Incurring a Hospital Complication: a Two-Way Interaction” and a second paper “Costs and Length of Stay Associated with Hospital-Acquired and Health Care-Associated Infections”  (view Table 1 and Appendix) was authored by Caitlin Vanesse, a graduate student at the George Washington University.