California health regulators on Friday released infection rates for hundreds of hospitals statewide in what it called a major push to inform residents about the infections that can sicken patients during hospital stays.

They vowed to make the state a national leader in disclosing those reports, saying that the publicity can prompt reforms and potentially save hundreds of California lives annually.

For years, the state has lagged behind other states in compiling such reports, required by a 2008 state law.

Last year, the Department of Public Health was widely criticized for fumbling its first-ever reports of statistics on patients who suffered infections during hospital stays. This year, the department's leaders say that their reports are thorough enough that consumers can now compare hospitals on certain infections. They said they are especially proud of the report on so-called central line infections, one of the most deadly infection types, estimated to kill 28,000 people nationally and cost $2.3 billion in extra care.

Locally, UC Davis Medical Center scored poorly on central line infections in the first report, released last January. This year, it continues to stand out, with more infections than several other major teaching hospitals in the University of California system.

"It's a repeat offender," said patient advocate Carole Moss, who spearheaded the passage of the 2008 disclosure law after her 15-year- old son died of an infection in Orange County.

Hospital spokesman Charles Casey said the hospital had produced a "remarkable" 59 percent decline in such infections, although most of that reduction will be apparent only in subsequent reports. He acknowledged that its numbers are "still too high."

State officials vow they're turning things around after a rocky start last year.

"This really confirms the (Brown) administration's recognition of the importance of this issue," said Kathleen Billingsley, the department's chief deputy director, in a telephone interview. She promised that updated reports will be issued in July with "even more data than we had before, and even better data."

Representatives of Consumers Union and the California Hospital Association confirmed that the state appears to be making progress.

Moss, however, said she is disappointed that some hospitals never reported the required data and said she is looking for improvements in July.

But state officials said California is now pulling ahead of other states in some of its reporting.

One report released Friday, for instance, looks at how successfully workers in hospital intensive-care units are following standards as they insert special lines near the hearts of patients to be used for feeding and medication. State officials call it the first of its kind.

Sloppy practices such as unwashed hands and lack of correct sanitary attire are a major cause of infections in patients' bloodstreams, experts say.

Overall, the state's hospitals reported 93 percent compliance with following the so-called "check list" for inserting lines.

But the report shows wide fluctuations among hospitals, with some of the smaller, community-type facilities reporting more problems than larger hospitals. At Clovis Community Medical Center, for example, compliance was only 53 percent.

The reports contain hospital data on three other well-known types of infections frequently transmitted in hospitals: Clostridium difficile; Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, and Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus bloodstream infection.

The reports can be found here.

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Deborah Schoch is a senior writer at the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting, a news organization at the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism. The center is funded by the nonpartisan California HealthCare Foundation.

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