Colorado hospitals, surgery centers and dialysis clinics are making progress in curbing rates of healthcare-associated infections, according a report released by the state's department of public health and environment (PDF).

Rates of central line-associated bloodstream infections in adult intensive-care units have fallen 43% during the past three years, from 1.57 per 1,000 central line days in 2008 to 0.89 per 1,000 central line days in 2010, according to the report. Overall statewide rates of central line infections also fell nearly by 44% during the same period.

Colorado state law requires that hospitals report their rates of healthcare-associated infections using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network, a web-based reporting system that uses standard definitions and surveillance methodologies.

The report also contains facility-specific data, including hospitals' total number of infections and national infection rates. The department urged readers of the report against using the data to make side-by-side comparisons.

“There are several reasons direct comparisons between facilities do not provide an accurate assessment,” according to the report. “Facilities vary in the types of patients they treat, and a facility that treats a high volume of severely ill patients may have higher infection rates, regardless of their prevention efforts. The NHSN system provides the best risk adjustment possible to account for this, though there will always be patient risk factors that cannot be measured, and included in the adjustment.”