CDC Central-Line Bloodstream Infection Prevention Efforts Produced Net Benefits Of At Least $640 Million During 1990–2008

The prevention of central line–associated bloodstream infections in patients in hospital critical care units has been a target of efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) since the 1960s. We developed a historical economic model to measure the net economic benefits of preventing these infections in Medicare and Medicaid patients in critical care units for the period 1990–2008—a time when reductions attributable to federal investment resulted primarily from CDC efforts—using the cost perspective of the federal government as a third-party payer. The estimated net economic benefits ranged from $640 million to $1.8 billion, with the corresponding net benefits per case averted ranging from $15,780 to $24,391. The per dollar rate of return on the CDC’s investments ranged from $3.88 to $23.85. These findings suggest that investments in CDC programs targeting other health care–associated infections also have the potential to produce savings by lowering Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.