The House gave second consideration to a bill (HB 1552) that, like the Senate bill, would require infection reporting, but that also would require hospitals to meet certain benchmarks showing a reduction in infection rates.
Financial incentives would be available to hospitals that meet benchmarks; those that did not would get reduced state payments and could be fined and possibly suffer license penalties. The bill is sponsored by State Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D., Allegheny).
Through a spokesman, Rendell said he would not sign either bill.
Spokesman Chuck Ardo said, "We are working with the Pennsylvania Hospital Association, Rep. DeLuca, and Sen. Erickson to craft a bill on which all the parties can agree."
Rendell made reducing hospital-acquired infections a part of his broad-based "Prescription for Pennsylvania" health-care plan announced earlier this year and said this week he wanted the legislature to pass an acceptable bill as part of the budget process.
Last year, the state was the first to publicly report infection rates by hospital, when the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council issued its seminal report detailing the problem.
The Governor's Office, citing the council's most recent figures, said 2,500 patients in Pennsylvania died last year of hospital-acquired infections. It said the cost of caring for patients with such infections was $3.5 billion.
House Democrats said their bill, with its financial incentives, offered a carrot-and-stick approach to reduce infection rates.
"The House bill holds hospitals more accountable for specific benchmarks they have to meet for hospital-acquired infections," said Rick Speese, Democratic executive director of the House Insurance Committee.
