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 The
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Takes Aim at Blood Culture
Contamination
July
18th, 2009
In 2006, the Centers for Disease
Control (CDC) created a program to improve processes performed at
clinical laboratories. This program, the Laboratory Medicine Best
Practices Initiative was designed to tackle key quality issues that
continue to plague clinical labs. The 2008-2009 focus of the Initiative
is blood culture contamination. The CDC is currently gathering evidence
from all published and unpublished studies in order to identify the best
processes and techniques to prevent blood culture contamination.
Blood culture contamination affects over 400,000 patients each year and
costs hospitals over 10 billion dollars annually. For more information
on the Laboratory Medicine Best Practices Initiative, visit the CDC
website or futurelabmedicine.org.
 Recent
Study Identifies the Costs of Blood Culture Contamination for Hospitals
May
1st, 2009
The latest study on the costs of
blood culture contamination for hospitals was recently performed at the
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. The 13 month study, led
by Dr. Rita Gander, MD compared the costs of false positive
(contaminated) blood cultures against negative blood cultures (no
contamination). The median increased cost of contamination for the 5,432
blood cultures studied was $8,735 per patient. Dr. Gander's team
conclude that reducing blood culture contamination rates to acceptable
levels would save $4.1 million each year in unnecessary patient charges
for the U of Texas. The study was published in Journal
of Clinical Microbiology in April of 2009.
The Clean
CollectTM
Blood Collection System has demonstrated the potential to
reduce contamination rates to less than 1%, which is significantly lower
than the 3% level currently considered acceptable by the American
Society for Microbiology.
New Laws Require Hospitals to Report Hospital Associated Infections November 7th , 2007
Legislators of many states have passed laws that require hospitals to report
Hospital Associated Infections
(HAIs). While the specifics of the each state's laws on reporting vary,
this is clearly is supportive of the Center for Medicare & Medicaid's (CMS's) movement
towards stricter rules for reimbursement through Hospital Quality Initiatives. The current
initiatives are directed towards common problems such as catheter-related infections and
bed sores, but does not yet address issues such as methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and blood culture contamination. Future initiatives are expected to encompass more and more causes of
Hospital Associated Infections. Protocols and procedures proven to prevent HAIs are likely to become mandatory for reimbursement. Given that hospitals rely upon Medicare and
Medicaid reimbursment, they are certain to follow CMS's lead on any Hospital Quality Initiatives.
Biomerieux
Creates Initiative to Combat Blood Culture Contamination
May 26th, 2007 - Durham, NC
Major in vitro diagnostics manufacturer Biomerieux, has announced its rollout of the
WorkSafeTM Initiative. Aimed at preventing blood culture contamination, the WorkSafeTM
blood culture kit provides the equipment needed to perform the standard techniques of
collection for blood culture samples safely. The initiative also includes training materials
useful for phlebotomist, nurses, and other blood collectors. "This is very exciting," remarked
Ben Stone, president of the Stone Medical Corporation. "It's good to see a major player
in the blood culture products market taking an active interest in the longstanding problem of blood culture contamination." WorksafeTM joins the Blood Culture Procedural Tray, a product offered by Becton Dickinson that provides
the equipment needed to perform the standard blood culture collection method consistently. The Stone Medical
Corporation plans to enter the market in 2009 with the Clean CollectTM Blood Collection System, a technology
that provides a serious technical upgrade to the standard blood collection method. Directors at the Stone Medical
Corporation expect that Clean CollectTM will set an
entirely new standard for the collection of blood culture samples.
Clinical Research Updates the Costs of Blood Culture Contamination
September 20th, 2006 - Denver, Colorado 
The newest study of the costs associated with blood culture contamination places
the average cost per contaminant at $27,652 per incident. This is significant, given
that hospitals may have hundreds of contaminants each year. At this rate, the annual
costs for many hospitals is several million dollars. Besides the monetary costs, blood culture contamination comes with a significant
human cost. Thousands die each year and many more suffer from hospital
associated infections. Contaminated blood cultures result in the administration of intravenous antibiotics and is a
major contributor to the worldwide problem of hospital associated infections.
Previous estimates placed the cost at about $7,700 per contaminant with hospitals experiencing a net loss of
about half that. The new estimate suggests a much more significant financial burden caused by the problem. With
future Hospital Quality Initiatives from Medicare, the net losses for hospitals could be staggering.
The full clinical study paper, "Analysis of strategies to improve
cost effectiveness of blood cultures" is published in the Journal
of Hospital Medicine Oct 2006
Volume
1, Issue 5 , Pages 272 - 276.
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