On October 23, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Kathleen Sibelius, announced the award of a cluster of grants totaling $17 million, all geared to fight costly and dangerous healthcare-associated infections (HIAs). HAIs are among the most common complications of hospital care. Nearly 2 million patients develop HAIs each year, contributing to 99,000 deaths and $28 billion to $33 billion in health care costs annually.

A consortium of 4 institutions, with MUSC as a key leader, received a $2 million two-year award to enhance an AHRQ-supported Practice-Based Research Network program.  The project title is Reducing the Overuse of Antibiotics by Primary Care Clinicians in Ambulatory and Long-Term Care Settings. Joinng MUSC In the consortium are the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA; University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, CO; and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A complete list of institutions funded by the $17 million in resources recently awarded by HHS is available at http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/haify09.htm. MUSC’s project leader is Dr. Steven Ornstein, Professor of Family Practice, email ornstesm@musc.edu.

Source: HHS Press Release, October 23, 2009