Ethan Rhodes
If you need to be hospitalized, it is important to know which hospital in your area has the lowest infection rate. Thirty-eight states have passed laws to provide the public with hospital infection report cards, and this information can be found online. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects healthcare-associated infections (HAI) data from hospitals via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), which is the nation's most widely used HAI tracking system. NHSN provides data needed to identify problem areas, measure progress, and eliminate HAIs. The CDC also publishes an annual National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report, which provides an overview of the most common HAIs and national and state progress in preventing them. Additionally, organizations like The Leapfrog Group provide free, publicly available patient safety data to help patients make informed decisions about their care.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Data Source | National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and the Emerging Infections Program Healthcare-Associated Infections – Community Interface (EIP HAIC) |
| Data Availability | Data is available at the national and state levels |
| Data Frequency | Annual reports and progress updates |
| Data Coverage | Acute care hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) |
| Data Metrics | Infection types include MRSA, CLABSI, CDI, CAUTI, VAE, and SSIs |
| Data Validation | State health departments validate data through quality checks, data cleaning, and audits |
| Data Accessibility | Data is accessible to the public through the CDC's website and Hospital Safety Grade |
| Data Comparison | States are ranked based on the percentage of "A" hospitals |
| Data Impact | Publicly available data motivates hospitals to improve infection rates |
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What You'll Learn
Infection rates by US state
Infection rates in the US vary by state and are influenced by factors such as population density, income, and education rates. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted disparities in infection rates across different states, with some states experiencing higher infection and death rates than others.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, states like North and South Dakota, Arizona, and New Jersey experienced high infection and death rates, while states in New England, such as Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire, had lower rates. The epicentres of the outbreak in the US, such as Los Angeles and New York City, did not have notably high per-capita infection and death rates.
As of June 2025, the CDC provides data on current epidemic trends for US states, estimating the time-varying reproductive number, Rt, which indicates whether infections are increasing or decreasing. This helps public health practitioners prepare and respond to potential outbreaks. Rt values above 1 indicate epidemic growth, while values below 1 suggest infections are declining.
In addition to COVID-19, infection rates for other diseases, such as respiratory illnesses and STIs, also vary across US states. For example, Washington State presents respiratory illness data by race and ethnicity to identify health disparities. STI rates in US cities show that San Francisco, CA, and Portland, OR, have consistently ranked high for STI rates, while cities in the West have generally shown improvement.
Overall, understanding infection rates by US state is essential for public health preparedness, response, and addressing health disparities across different regions.
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CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is a national healthcare-associated infection (HAI) reporting system. It is the most widely used tracking system for HAIs in the United States.
The NHSN provides data to facilities, states, regions, and the nation, to help identify problem areas, measure the progress of prevention efforts, and ultimately eliminate healthcare-associated infections. It allows healthcare facilities to track antimicrobial use and resistance, blood safety errors, and other important healthcare process measures. The data is used to identify emerging problems and areas of concern that need intervention, and to measure progress in HAI reduction against national, state, and local prevention goals.
The NHSN's infection criteria and surveillance concepts are used to guide internal surveillance for HAIs, and to enable comparisons with state- and national-level HAI data. The SIR (Standardized Infection Ratio) is the most widely used summary measure in NHSN. It is the ratio of the number of observed healthcare-associated infections to the number of predicted infections, and it is risk-adjusted to account for the underlying risk of infection in the population being measured.
The CDC's annual National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report provides a detailed look at the HAIs most commonly reported to the NHSN. It describes national and state progress in preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI), select surgical site infections (SSI), and hospital-onset C. difficile infections.
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Infection rates by hospital
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes data reports to help track progress and target areas that need assistance. The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the nation's most widely used HAI tracking system. The NHSN provides facilities, states, regions, and the nation with data needed to identify problem areas, measure progress, and eliminate HAIs. The CDC publishes an annual National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAI) Progress Report, which provides a summary of select HAIs across four healthcare settings: acute care hospitals (ACHs), critical access hospitals (CAHs), inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), and long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs).
The 2023 annual report showed significant decreases in acute care hospitals for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (16%), central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) (13%), C. difficile infection (CDI) (13%), CAUTI (11%), and ventilator-associated events (VAE) (5%) between 2022 and 2023. Surgical site infections (SSIs) following abdominal hysterectomy increased by 8% and there was no change for colon surgery when compared to 2022 standardized infection ratios (SIRs).
Among inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), there was a 14% decrease in hospital-onset C. difficile infection and an 8% increase in CAUTI; otherwise, there were no significant changes in CLABSI and hospital-onset MRSA 2023 SIRs compared with 2022. Among long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), there was a 13% decrease in hospital-onset C. difficile infection, with no other significant changes in 2023 SIRs compared with 2022.
The Leapfrog Group is another source of information on hospital infection rates. For more than 20 years, the Leapfrog Group has collected, analyzed, and published hospital data on safety and quality. The Leapfrog Group provides free, publicly available patient safety data to help patients make informed decisions about their care.
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Infection types and rates
The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the most widely used HAI tracking system in the US. The NHSN provides data on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) to facilities, states, regions, and the nation. This data helps identify problem areas, measure the progress of prevention efforts, and work towards eliminating HAIs. The CDC also publishes an annual National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report, which provides a detailed look at the most common HAIs reported to the NHSN.
According to the CDC, on any given day, about one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infection. Various types of HAIs exist, and the rates of these infections can vary across different hospitals and regions. Here are some common types of HAIs and their associated rates, based on information from the CDC and other sources:
- Central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI): Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 13% decrease in CLABSI among acute care hospitals. CLABSI rates are included in the CDC's National and State HAI Progress Reports, where they are compared to predicted numbers based on risk adjustment calculations.
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI): CAUTI is a common HAI, with approximately 15-25% of hospitalized patients receiving a catheter during their stay. Between 2022 and 2023, there was an 11% decrease in CAUTI among acute care hospitals. However, among inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs), there was an 8% increase in CAUTI.
- Surgical site infections (SSI): SSIs are infections that occur at the site of a surgical procedure. Approximately 2% of hysterectomy patients experience an SSI each year, and SSIs account for 22% of all hospital-acquired infections. Between 2022 and 2023, there was an 8% increase in SSIs following abdominal hysterectomies.
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections: C. diff is a bacterium that can cause fever, diarrhea, and life-threatening colon inflammation (colitis). Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 13% decrease in C. diff infections among long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs) and inpatient rehabilitation facilities.
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia: MRSA is a type of bloodstream infection. Between 2022 and 2023, there was a 16% decrease in MRSA among acute care hospitals.
It is important to note that these rates may vary over time and across different regions and hospitals. Additionally, the CDC's Emerging Infections Program Healthcare-Associated Infections – Community Interface (EIP HAIC) also contributes to HAI surveillance and tracking.
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Patient safety data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the nation's most widely used healthcare-associated infection (HAI) tracking system. The CDC collects HAI data from hospitals through the NHSN tool. The NHSN provides data at the facility, state, and regional levels to identify problem areas, measure the progress of prevention efforts, and eliminate HAIs. The CDC also publishes an annual National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report, which offers a detailed look at common HAIs and national and state progress in preventing them. This report includes information on specific types of infections, such as central line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) and catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTI).
State Health Departments
State health departments play a crucial role in validating and reporting hospital infection rates. Thirty-eight states have passed laws to provide the public with hospital infection report cards, allowing for public comparison of hospital performance. State health departments may use different methods for data validation, and their validation efforts can impact the reported infection rates. For example, some states validate data from a single facility, while others conduct wider validation. States with more vigorous data validation practices may report higher infection rates.
The Leapfrog Group
The Leapfrog Group is an independent organization that has been collecting, analyzing, and publishing hospital data on safety and quality for over 20 years. They provide free and publicly available patient safety data, including hospital safety grades, to help patients make informed decisions about their care. Their transparency has contributed to significant improvements in the safety, quality, and affordability of healthcare.
CMS Care Compare
CMS Care Compare offers national and state-level data about HAI incidence. This report includes information from individual hospitals, long-term acute care hospitals (LTACHs), and inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRFs). It is designed to be accessible to a broad audience and can be viewed, downloaded, and printed from the Antimicrobial Resistance and Patient Safety Portal.
Medicare National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN)
Even among states that do not require HAI reporting, many participate in the Medicare National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Data about hospitals in these states can be found on the Medicare website, allowing patients to compare hospitals based on various quality indicators.
By utilizing these sources, patients can access hospital infection rates and make more informed decisions about their healthcare choices. This transparency promotes competition among hospitals to improve their infection control practices and enhance patient safety.
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Frequently asked questions
The CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) is the most widely used HAI tracking system in the US. You can access the data on the CDC's website or on www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare. Alternatively, you can refer to the Leapfrog Group, which provides free, publicly available patient safety data.
Thirty-eight states have passed laws to provide the public with hospital infection report cards. You can find links to each state's health department online. Additionally, states are ranked based on the percentage of "A" hospitals they have, so you can refer to that ranking.
The CDC publishes an annual National and State Healthcare-Associated Infections Progress Report. Additionally, the CDC publishes a Current HAI Progress Report, which is updated at least as of March 2025.
According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), a hospital-acquired infection is "any localized or systemic condition resulting from an adverse reaction to the presence of an infectious agent(s) or its toxin(s) that (a) occurs in a patient in a hospital, (b) and was found not to be present or incubating at the time of admission to the hospital, unless (c) the infection was related to a previous admission to the same hospital."
