Prospective Payment and Infection Control

Abstract

Under prospective payment utilizing the diagnostic related groups (DRG) classification, hospital administrators have begun to rethink accepted hospital procedures. It is now necessary to consider every factor that contributes to the cost of care, because those costs will be borne more and more by the hospital rather than the patient. Administrators must determine if an expenditure really improves the quality of care and shortens the length of stay. Unfortunately, in many cases there are no mechanisms or criteria for such an evaluation. The health care industry is in danger of cutting away tissue when the fat is being trimmed away. An effort tojustify and quantify the benefit of an infection control program in a 270-bed acute care general hospital led to eye-opening results, and a decision to expand the program rather than reduce it. The expanded program is expected to recover cost two-fold.