About This Book
Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) represent one of the most significant and preventable sources of excess cost in modern healthcare. In the intensive care unit, where patients are already at the highest risk of organ failure and death, a single central line-associated bloodstream infection can add $45,000 or more to a patient's hospital bill — and increase mortality risk by 10–35%.
This book provides infection preventionists, hospital administrators, and clinical leaders with the analytical tools to understand, quantify, and present the true economic burden of HAIs — and to build the business case for prevention programs that save both lives and institutional resources.
Dr. Tiburcio examines cost-of-illness methodology, direct and indirect cost attribution, length-of-stay modeling, and the return-on-investment calculations that support funding for infection control programs. Case studies from U.S. and international ICUs illustrate how economic data can be translated into institutional policy.
What's Inside
1The Hidden Price of Hospital Infections: An Overview
2Cost-of-Illness Methodology: Direct, Indirect, and Intangible Costs
3Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infections (CLABSI): Cost Analysis
4Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: Clinical and Economic Burden
5Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections in the ICU
6Multi-Drug Resistant Organisms: The Compounding Cost of Resistance
7Length-of-Stay Modeling and Attribution Methodology
8Building the Business Case: ROI of Prevention Programs
9Institutional Policy and Reimbursement Implications
Who This Book Is For
- Infection preventionists and hospital epidemiologists
- ICU medical directors and nursing leaders
- Hospital CFOs and finance teams
- Quality improvement and patient safety officers
- Public health researchers and policy analysts
About the Author
A
Dr. Alberto Saraiva Tiburcio
Dr. Alberto Saraiva Tiburcio is a physician and infectious disease specialist with clinical and academic experience in Brazil and the United States. He is the founder of No Infection Consulting & Education, a public health education platform committed to making evidence-based infectious disease knowledge accessible to both healthcare professionals and the general public. He is the author of multiple books in infection control, epidemiology, and artificial intelligence in medicine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this book applicable to hospitals outside the United States?
Yes. While U.S. cost data is used extensively for illustration, the methodological frameworks — cost attribution, length-of-stay modeling, ROI calculation — are universally applicable. International examples are included throughout.
Does this require a background in health economics?
No. Economic concepts are explained from first principles. The book is written for clinicians and administrators, not economists.
Can this book help me justify budget requests for infection control?
That is one of its primary purposes. Chapter 8 is dedicated to building the internal business case for prevention programs using your own institutional data.
