1 | A Success Story In American Health Care: Eliminating Infections & Saving Lives in Michigan | Healthreform.GOV
The Quality and Safety of Health Care
in the United States
Improving the quality and safety of health care is a
key part of health reform. Improving the quality of
care will improve the health of all Americans and
avoid unnecessary costs.
The American health care system, which spends more per
patient than any other health system in the world, still has
an unacceptably high number of medical errors. Estimates
indicate that nearly 100,000 patients die each year from
medical errors in the United States.1 At the same time,
patient safety measures have worsened by nearly 1% each
year for the past decade.2
Part of this decline in patient safety stems from a rise in
diagnosed health care associated infections (HAI) – infections
that patients acquire during the course of their stay in a health
care setting, such as a nursing home or a hospital.3
Health care associated infections are among the top ten
leading causes of death in the United States. Such life-
threatening infections significantly drive up the cost of health
care by nearly $28 to $33 billion per year.4
A Success Story for Patient Safety The Keystone Project reduced infections by 66%
throughout the state, saving over 1,500 lives
The Michigan Keystone ICU Project saved over and $200 million in the first
1,500 lives and $200 million by reducing health care 18 months alone.
associated infections.
Source 8
One recent success story is the Michigan Keystone Intensive
Care Unit (ICU) Project, a partnership between the
Michigan Health & Hospital Association and Johns Hopkins
University.5
As the provision of health care has become more advanced,
the ICU has become a crucial part of health care delivery in the
United States. It is also one of the most complex and expensive
environments for patient care. The Institute of Medicine
has reported that nearly every patient admitted to an ICU
experiences some type of complication during his or her stay.6
The goal of the Michigan Keystone ICU Project was to make
patient care safer in over 100 ICUs in the state of Michigan.
1 | A Success Story In American Health Care: Eliminating Infections & Saving Lives in Michigan | Healthreform.GOV
The Quality and Safety of Health Care
in the United States
Improving the quality and safety of health care is a
key part of health reform. Improving the quality of
care will improve the health of all Americans and
avoid unnecessary costs.
The American health care system, which spends more per
patient than any other health system in the world, still has
an unacceptably high number of medical errors. Estimates
indicate that nearly 100,000 patients die each year from
medical errors in the United States.1 At the same time,
patient safety measures have worsened by nearly 1% each
year for the past decade.2
Part of this decline in patient safety stems from a rise in
diagnosed health care associated infections (HAI) – infections
that patients acquire during the course of their stay in a health
care setting, such as a nursing home or a hospital.3
Health care associated infections are among the top ten
leading causes of death in the United States. Such life-
threatening infections significantly drive up the cost of health
care by nearly $28 to $33 billion per year.4
A Success Story for Patient Safety The Keystone Project reduced infections by 66%
throughout the state, saving over 1,500 lives
The Michigan Keystone ICU Project saved over and $200 million in the first
1,500 lives and $200 million by reducing health care 18 months alone.
associated infections.
Source 8
One recent success story is the Michigan Keystone Intensive
Care Unit (ICU) Project, a partnership between the
Michigan Health & Hospital Association and Johns Hopkins
University.5
As the provision of health care has become more advanced,
the ICU has become a crucial part of health care delivery in the
United States. It is also one of the most complex and expensive
environments for patient care. The Institute of Medicine
has reported that nearly every patient admitted to an ICU
experiences some type of complication during his or her stay.6
The goal of the Michigan Keystone ICU Project was to make
patient care safer in over 100 ICUs in the state of Michigan.
