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New State Law Forces Hospitals To Reveal Infection Rates
POSTED: 3:10 pm EST November 2,
2006
UPDATED: 4:46 pm EST November 10,
2006
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Eyewitness News has found a list of which hospitals are more likely to leave you more sick than when you went in.It's information the hospitals didn't want to share but now they have to.
Search Hospital Infection Rates
"I think you'd be cleaner in a cheap hotel room that you would in a hospital room at $800 a night," said Chris Williams.He says last year a common surgery turned into a year long nightmare. He says he acquired five infections while recovering in the hospital. "(I) left the hospital, and within a 30 day period I had staph, stress, fungal, yeast and MRSE," said Williams.Cases like Williams' have prompted lawmakers to force hospitals to publicize information about infection problems that lurk inside hospitals. Dr. Frank Farkas is the state representative who sponsored the law that forced hospitals to reveal their infection rates."I think last time I checked, 95-thousand deaths across the country were from acquired infections," said Farkas. "You're not going to drive a car with no brakes, but if no one tells you the brakes don't work how would you know? And this is the same kind of thing."Nine local hospitals now fall below the state average for hospital acquired infections. State records show they include Halifax Medical Center, Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, and St. Cloud Hospital.The hospitals dispute comparisons. Spokespeople say different facilities specialize in different surgeries and some procedures carry a higher risk of infection.
Central Florida Hospital Infection Rates (PDF File)Claudia Mejia represents the horror simple procedures can cause. She lost both of her arms and both of her legs after giving birth to her son Matthew."He wants me to pick him up sometimes. And I can't and that's hard for me," she said as she cried.Mejia's attorneys have had to sue Orlando Regional Medical Center to find out what went wrong. That hide-and-seek attitude made lawmakers step in.Chris Williams believes the new law is only the first step in making medical facilities own up to what he calls a dirty little secret. "They'll spend more money trying to say it didn't happen, than it would cost to hire someone to keep the place clean," said Williams.
Search Hospital Infection Rates"I think you'd be cleaner in a cheap hotel room that you would in a hospital room at $800 a night," said Chris Williams.He says last year a common surgery turned into a year long nightmare. He says he acquired five infections while recovering in the hospital. "(I) left the hospital, and within a 30 day period I had staph, stress, fungal, yeast and MRSE," said Williams.Cases like Williams' have prompted lawmakers to force hospitals to publicize information about infection problems that lurk inside hospitals. Dr. Frank Farkas is the state representative who sponsored the law that forced hospitals to reveal their infection rates."I think last time I checked, 95-thousand deaths across the country were from acquired infections," said Farkas. "You're not going to drive a car with no brakes, but if no one tells you the brakes don't work how would you know? And this is the same kind of thing."Nine local hospitals now fall below the state average for hospital acquired infections. State records show they include Halifax Medical Center, Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach, and St. Cloud Hospital.The hospitals dispute comparisons. Spokespeople say different facilities specialize in different surgeries and some procedures carry a higher risk of infection.
Central Florida Hospital Infection Rates (PDF File)Claudia Mejia represents the horror simple procedures can cause. She lost both of her arms and both of her legs after giving birth to her son Matthew."He wants me to pick him up sometimes. And I can't and that's hard for me," she said as she cried.Mejia's attorneys have had to sue Orlando Regional Medical Center to find out what went wrong. That hide-and-seek attitude made lawmakers step in.Chris Williams believes the new law is only the first step in making medical facilities own up to what he calls a dirty little secret. "They'll spend more money trying to say it didn't happen, than it would cost to hire someone to keep the place clean," said Williams.Copyright 2007 by wftv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
