Public Reporting of Health Care–Associated Infection Rates

As of May 2013, 33 states plus the District of Columbia have such laws, and 32 states have made such reports publicly available.Although public reporting of HAI rates has become common, to our knowledge there have not been any stud-ies of consumer awareness, engagement, and intent to use these reports. In a 2006 study, conducted when there were only 3 states with public reporting of HAIs, McGuckin and colleagues found that 85% of those surveyed identi-fied HAI rates as an important factor when they were choosing a hospital.