The Real Cost of Hospital-Acquired Infections—And How Vastian Helps Avoid Them

The Real Cost of Hospital-Acquired Infections—And How Vastian Helps Avoid Them

Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) remain a persistent and costly challenge for healthcare systems across the U.S. Despite avoidance efforts, many of these infections—and the financial penalties that come with them—are still preventable. The question is: how can hospitals move from reactive management to proactive prevention?

At Vastian, we believe the key lies in smarter, more connected Quality Management systems. When hospitals are equipped with the right tools to streamline workflows, monitor risks in real time, and act on leading indicators, the results can be transformative—not just for patient safety and infection prevention, but also for the bottom line.

The Challenge: HAIs Are Costly—and Common

Each year, hospitals across the U.S. bear billions in unreimbursed costs due to avoidable conditions. Pressure injuries, patient falls resulting in severe harm, catheter-associated infections, and VTEs aren’t just clinical events—they’re financial stressors.

Consider the national scale:

• $45 billion in unreimbursed costs from HAIs

• $25,000 average unreimbursed cost per infection

• $329,000 average HACRP penalty for hospitals with high infection rates

Many hospitals rely on manual systems or limited EHR workflows that only surface issues after the harm has occurred. These lagging indicators make it difficult for Quality teams to intervene early, even when warning signs exist.

Vastian’s Impact: Smarter Prevention Through Proactive Quality Management

Vastian’s integrated platform helps Quality and Infection Prevention & Control teams reduce the likelihood of HACs and HAIs by empowering them to do more with their time—more concurrent chart reviews, more rounding, heightened surveillance, more oversight, and ultimately, more prevention.  

Here’s how that translates to real value:

Use Case: Time Savings That Drive Better Care

• 5,200 hours saved annually across a typical Quality team (equivalent to 2.5 full-time employees)

• Freed time is reallocated to high-value activities like concurrent review of key performance indicators and high-risk patient care processes, proactive rounding and infection prevention surveillance.

Modeled Savings: A 225-Bed Hospital Example

Using Vastian’s Economic Value Calculator, we modeled the impact for a 225-bed hospital. Here’s what the data shows when teams reinvest time savings into infection prevention:

• CAUTI Reduction (↓23.8%) — Cost avoided: $41,400 annually

• CLABSI Reduction (↓5%) — Cost avoided: $48,100 annually

• Pressure Injuries (HAPI) Reduction (↓6%) — Cost avoided: $1.29 million annually

• HA-VTE Prevention (↑20.6% Prophylaxis) — Cost avoided: $17,300 annually

Total cost avoidance: $1.4+ million annually at just one facility.

A Better Way Forward

Hospitals are doing incredible work under extraordinary pressure. But too often, they lack the tools to consistently act on the insights that matter most. Vastian was built to reimagine Quality—so your teams can spend less time chasing data and more time improving health outcomes and preventing patient harm.

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