Claims Data Reveals Limited Impact of Nonpayment Policies for CAUTI

Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) rates determined by claims data appear inaccurate and are much lower than expected from epidemiologic surveillance data, according to the results of a study published in the September 4, 2012, Annals of Internal Medicine. The study, which measured the rates of urinary tract infections, including CAUTIs, and frequency of reduced payment for hospital-acquired CAUTIs in 96 Michigan hospitals, found that rates of CAUTI were very low (0.09% of discharges in 2007 and 0.14% of discharges in 2009).