The patient safety and quality initiatives created and led by the MHA Keystone Center have saved thousands of lives in Michigan hospitals. But they have also saved hundreds of millions of health care dollars for patients, families and employers.

When a patient receives better care and experiences fewer or no complications, their hospital stay is shorter and their need for additional care related to their original hospitalization is avoided. In a time when advancements in health care technology and state-of-the-art procedures are driving up the cost of health care, initiatives like the MHA Keystone Center are actually reducing the cost of care by ensuring only necessary dollars are being spent on that care.

A single central-line-associated bloodstream infection in a patient can not only threaten their life, but cost up to $56,000. When those infections — and harm to patient — are successfully avoided, so is the cost.

Between March 2004 and March 2010, a single MHA Keystone Center patient safety and quality project resulted in more than 1,830 lives saved, more than 140,700 excess hospital days avoided, and more than $300 million in health care dollars saved. This effort successfully used best practices, checklists and an improved culture of communication among clinicians to reach this impressive achievement.

More than a dozen conditions are being addressed in the MHA Keystone Center projects, saving lives and reducing the health care costs paid by patients, families, employers, insurers and others.