“Let’s hope the third time is the charm for Rep. Tom Campbell’s bill to require hospitals to report how many of their patients come down with an infection during treatment.

According to surveys of 300 large hospitals, 2 million Americans are infected at medical facilities each year, and about 90,000 of them die.

The public has every right to know which hospitals have aggressive infection-control programs in place and which hospitals, for whatever reasons, have high infection rates.

It should come as no surprise that the Washington State Hospital Association is opposed to Campbell’s legislation.

The organization would just as soon keep infection rates out of the hands – and minds – of consumers…

It’s time to add Washington to the list.

Campbell, a Republican from Roy’s 2nd Legislative District that includes eastern Thurston County, has twice before tried to pass his bill.

The measure passed the state House of Representatives last year but died in the Senate. Let us hope the Senate sees the wisdom of Campbell’s legislation this year and sends it to the governor for her signature into law.

HB 1106 requires the Department of Health to adopt standards for identifying, tracking and reporting health-care-associated infections acquired in hospitals and to publish annual reports of infection control measures at individual hospitals.

Disclosure is a good thing.

It will help patients who have a choice of hospitals decide where their risk of infection is less…

Lawmakers in the House and Senate should pass HB 1106.

For more information

Tracking a bill:

To view the text of House Bill 1106 or any bill, or to see background information, a summary of committee testimony and how individual legislators voted, go to www.leg.wa.gov/ ,” quoting The Olympian.