Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)
CAUTI is a urinary tract infection in a patient who had an indwelling urinary catheter in place for more than 2 calendar days — the most common healthcare-associated infection and a CMS non-payment hospital-acquired condition.
What is CAUTI?
CAUTI accounts for 75% of hospital-acquired urinary tract infections, with approximately 560,000 occurring annually in US hospitals. NHSN reporting is mandatory for ICUs and all inpatient locations where catheter data is collected in CMS-participating facilities. Two key performance metrics are tracked: the SIR (Standardized Infection Ratio — observed CAUTIs divided by NHSN-predicted CAUTIs) and the device utilization ratio (catheter days divided by patient days). CMS designates CAUTI as a hospital-acquired condition for which no additional payment is made, and it contributes to the HAC Reduction Program score. The evidence-based CAUTI prevention bundle includes: inserting catheters only when clinically necessary, maintaining a closed drainage system, ensuring unobstructed urine flow, performing daily assessments of catheter necessity, and removing catheters promptly when no longer indicated. Nurse-driven removal protocols — allowing nurses to discontinue catheters per standing protocol without a physician order — reduce catheter-days by 25–35%.
Why It Matters for Healthcare Analytics
Each CAUTI adds $1,000–$10,000 in additional treatment costs and extends hospital stays. Beyond direct costs, CAUTI SIR contributes to the HAC Reduction Program score, and hospitals with bottom-quartile scores lose 1% of all Medicare inpatient payments. The catheter utilization ratio by unit reveals whether excess infection risk comes from overuse of catheters or from maintenance failures once they are placed.
How Vizier Tracks CAUTI
Upload your NHSN data and catheter utilization records, then ask "Which units have the highest catheter utilization ratio and CAUTI SIR?" — Vizier identifies high-risk units, tracks nurse-driven removal protocol adoption, and benchmarks your CAUTI rates against NHSN national comparisons.