Michigan Internet Marketing Club: Hospital Ratings - Avoiding MRSA and C. difficile Infections

Hospital Ratings - Avoiding MRSA and C. difficile Infections

Our hospitals have turned into breeding grounds for dangerous—even deadly—infections. Consumer Reports has expanded its hospital Ratings and now includes information about two common and deadly infections: MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. difficile (Clostridium difficile). Consumer Reports’ new Ratings of more than 3,000 U.S. hospitals show which do a good job of avoiding these infections, and which do not. The numbers are staggering: every year in the U.S., 648,000 people develop infections during a hospital stay, and 75,000 people die as a result. That’s more than twice the number of people who die each year in car crashes. Many of these illnesses and deaths can be traced back to the use of antibiotics, the very drugs that are supposed to fight the infections. While some hospitals are taking steps to reduce infections and inappropriate antibiotic use, others appear to be making little effort. Below are detailed information for 28 local markets:

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Consumer Reports is the world’s largest and most trusted nonprofit, consumer organization working to improve the lives of consumers by driving marketplace change. Founded in 1936, Consumer Reports has achieved substantial gains for consumers on health reform, food and product safety, financial reform, and other issues. The organization has advanced important policies to cut hospital-acquired infections, prohibit predatory lending practices and combat dangerous toxins in food. Consumer Reports tests and rates thousands of products and services in its 50-plus labs, state-of-the-art auto test center and consumer research center. Consumers Union, a division of Consumer Reports, works for pro-consumer laws and regulations in Washington, D.C., the states, and in the marketplace. With more than eight million subscribers to its flagship magazine, website and other publications, Consumer Reports accepts no advertising, payment or other support from the companies whose products it evaluates.

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