The Michigan Health & Hospital Association joins a growing list of hospital associations, states and payers who have adopted policies to stop billing patients for certain serious preventable errors ("never events") and hospital-acquired conditions. This follows on from Medicare's decision to cease payment from 2008, for specific hospital medical errors.

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Web site released 2006 surgical infection data for all hospitals for the first time. Currently, data are reported for one category of HAIs, referred to as central line-associated bloodstream (CLAB) infections. In the near future, data on infections related to surgical procedures and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) - pneumonia related to the use of artificial breathing machines will be added. This data will be updated every 3 months.

Truman Medical Centers in Missouri has followed the lead of other hospitals (such as Waukesha Memorial Hospital) by posting prices for many of its most frequently performed medical procedures on its Web site.

Legislation introduced today by Representatives Rick Glazier, Martha Alexander, Lucy Allen, and Verla Insko falls short of what is needed to hold hospitals accountable for preventing patient infections, according to Consumers Union. HB 1738 establishes an advisory commission to develop recommendations for public reporting of hospital infection rates, but provides no guarantee that hospitals will be required to disclose such information.