The Centers for Disease Control estimates that more than 2 million patients pick up infections at U.S. hospitals every year.
And about 90,000 are killed by them.
Costs for those Hospital Acquired Infections are an estimated $5 billion.
The reason those numbers are estimates is because most hospitals nationwide don’t report them.
Hospitals have been reluctant to publicize their infection rates, and most have never been required to.
And in some cases they are not even tracking the information.
But as of July 1st, a new state law will mandate that New Hampshire Hospitals provide this data to the state for public disclosure.
But so far the law remains un-funded.
NHPR’s Dianne Finch reports.
