Hospital report card reveals faults at local facilities

At least 17 patients at Meriter Hospital got urinary tract infections from catheters during a recent 21-month period, and 20 patients at UW Hospital had the same problem. Meriter's rate of the infections was six times the national average, and UW Hospital's rate was more than four times the average. At St. Mary's Hospital, five patients got the infections, about average. Data on the infections and seven other conditions patients can get at hospitals were released this month by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL, 4/27)