WASHINGTON – Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius praised the Michigan Keystone ICU project as the first in a series of "success stories" that document innovative healthcare initiatives.

According to Sebelius, these projects can be used as models for reforming the American healthcare system. 

The Michigan Keystone ICU Project has reportedly led to a 66 percent reduction in intensive care unit catheter-related bloodstream infections throughout the state, saving more than 1,500 lives and $200 million in the first 18 months.

To help reduce infections, the project worked to ensure that clinicians used a checklist when inserting catheters into ICU patients.

The Michigan Keystone ICU Project, a joint partnership between the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and Johns Hopkins University, was funded by a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The federal government estimates that for every dollar invested, approximately $200 was saved.

"We know there are tremendous examples of efficient, high-quality healthcare in America today," Sebelius said Monday. "Our challenge is spreading these good examples across the country.  Our reports will showcase success stories like the Michigan Keystone ICU Project and highlight how health reform can improve the quality of care for all Americans."

Medical errors, including healthcare-associated infections, kill nearly 100,000 patients in America every year. 

"Americans don't expect to get additional infections when they go into the hospital," said Sebelius. "Stopping healthcare-associated infections and improving the quality of care is one of our top priorities."

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), passed last February, includes $50 million in grants for states to help fight healthcare-associated infections.

Sebelius has called on hospitals to commit to reducing ICU blood stream infections by 75 percent over the next three years by using the same checklist that has shown such success in Michigan.

"When we enact health reform, we can improve quality, help control costs and ensure (that) success stories like the Michigan Keystone ICU Project become the rule, not the exception," she said.