In Maryland's 44 acute care hospitals, health professionals have been washing their hands at least 90 percent of the time over the last six months, according to the Maryland Patient Safety Center.
The milestone is a large benchmark in reducing hospital-acquired infections, a central goal in a renewed agreement between Maryland and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to set its own hospital rates, according to an article on the Washington Business Journal website.
Maryland agreed to a 30 percent drop in hospital-acquired infections in the next five years to keep the waiver that allows the state to set its own rates for hospital services.