Health Care Leaders Must Strengthen, Not Shrink, Infection Prevention Efforts

In a powerful joint statement, Devin Jopp, CEO of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), and Leah Binder, CEO of The Leapfrog Group, are calling on health care leaders to reinforce—not reduce—their commitment to infection prevention and control (IPC). Amid an increasingly complex health care landscape, marked by rising patient safety concerns and emerging infectious threats, organizations stress that IPC programs are not optional overhead, but rather critical infrastructure.

With new data showing continued declines in health care-associated infections (HAIs), APIC and Leapfrog emphasize that this progress is fragile and must be safeguarded. Hospital CEOs, boards, and policymakers are urged to view infection prevention not as a box-checking exercise but as a strategic imperative for delivering high-quality, safe, and cost-effective care.

Here is the statement in full:

As leaders in healthcare quality and safety, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) and The Leapfrog Group jointly affirm that now is not the time to lessen leadership commitment to infection prevention and control (IPC) and patient safety. The current healthcare landscape—marked by high levels of preventable patient harm, emerging infectious threats, workforce shortages and increasing complexity of care—demands that patient safety top the priority list of every health system CEO and board. Yet on the contrary, we are deeply concerned by reports of reductions in IPC staffing and resources. These decisions jeopardize the very foundation of safe care.

On behalf of employers and other purchasers of healthcare, The Leapfrog Group sets standards for hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) on patient safety and quality, with a strong emphasis on infection prevention. Leapfrog’s latest analysis of spring 2025 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade data shows healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) continue to decline since they peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic. We cannot lose this momentum, and these standards cannot be achieved without robust IPC programs in place to prevent HAIs, improve outcomes and reduce costs.

Together, APIC and The Leapfrog Group call on hospital CEOs, boards and policymakers to prioritize infection prevention as a strategic imperative—not just as a regulatory requirement or cost center, but as a core driver of quality care and operational resilience.

Infection preventionists are the unsung heroes of healthcare. Cutting infection prevention now would be like dismantling the fire department during wildfire season. We urge healthcare leaders to double down on their commitment to prioritize infection prevention—not just to meet standards, but to excel in protecting lives.