HHS parcels out $17 million for HAIs

WASHINGTON The Department of Health and Human Services has doled out $17 million to projects set up to fight infections acquired in hospitals, HHS secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced.

Healthcare-associated infections, or HAIs, affect nearly 2 million patients every year, contributing to 99,000 deaths and costing the healthcare system up to $33 billion. The most common culprit in HAIs is methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA.

“When patients go to the hospital, they expect to get better, not worse,” Sebelius said in a statement. “Eliminating infections is critical to making care safer for patients and to improving the overall quality and safety of the healthcare system.”