Real-world data–driven insights into the clinical and economic burden of serious infections in routine practice
Hospital-onset infections place a substantial and often underestimated burden on patients and healthcare systems. For hospital-onset methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus non-ventilator-associated pneumonia (MRSA NVAP), real-world evidence (RWE) on clinical and economic impact has been limited, particularly given changes in hospital practice patterns and patient complexity since 2020.
A new study from Premier Applied Sciences, selected as a Research Podium presentation at ISPOR 2026, draws on data from more than 1400 US hospitals via the Premier Healthcare Database to quantify that burden across 2023 to 2025.
Compared with other non-ventilator-associated pneumonias, patients with MRSA NVAP experienced more than three times the length of stay, were over four times more likely to require ICU admission, and incurred excess costs of more than $75,000 per hospitalization. Around one in five patients did not survive their initial admission. Among those who did, nearly half were readmitted within 180 days, with most readmissions occurring within the first month after discharge.
In this interview, study authors Chendi Cui, Laura Curry, and Ning An Rosenthal of Premier Applied Sciences discuss:
- What the findings reveal about clinical burden and ongoing resource use beyond the initial admission
- Gaps in post-discharge care and the factors driving readmission
- How hospitals can better identify patients at higher risk
- Planned next steps
Read the full interview to explore the findings and their implications for clinical practice.
About the interviewees
Chendi Cui, PhD, MS, MBBS
Principal Research Scientist, Premier Applied Sciences
Chendi Cui is a Principal Research Scientist at Premier Applied Sciences, where she specializes in applying advanced epidemiologic and biostatistical methods to real-world research in cancer, cardiovascular disease and infectious disease. She has extensive experience with health insurance claims databases, electronic medical records and laboratory data, and has led numerous retrospective studies and clinical program evaluations. Dr Cui's research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences.
Laura Curry, PhD, MS, BA
Principal Research Analyst, Premier Applied Sciences
Laura Curry, PhD, MS, BA is a Principal Research Analyst for Premier Applied Sciences, the research and analytics division of Premier. She has over 25 years of experience in exploratory, predictive and confirmatory factor analysis, study design, research, survey design and data reconciliation across various contexts, including social science research, teaching and learning, economics and actuarial consulting. She received a master’s and doctorate degree in developmental psychology from the University of Florida and has co-written several peer-reviewed publications and presentations at national conferences.
Ning An Rosenthal, MD, PhD, MPH
Assistant Vice President of Applied Research, Premier Applied Sciences
Dr Ning An Rosenthal serves as Assistant Vice President of Applied Research at Premier Applied Sciences, leading a multidisciplinary team in designing and executing methodologically rigorous research studies in collaboration with life sciences companies, government agencies, and academic institutions. With over 20 years of experience in clinical, epidemiological, and health economics and outcomes research, she is widely recognized as an expert in RWE studies, serving as subject matter expert and chief scientist for observational, pragmatic, and interventional studies. Her research has supported regulatory submissions, post-market safety assessments, and disease burden evaluations, with findings published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at national and international conferences. Dr Rosenthal earned her MD from West China University of Medical Sciences, MPH from Peking Union Medical College, and PhD in Epidemiology from University of California, Los Angeles.
Acknowledgments
The authors thank the Premier Applied Sciences leadership team for their support of this study and the Premier data team for making the data available for analysis.
Disclaimers
The opinions expressed in this feature are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Evidence Base® or Becaris Publishing Ltd.
Sponsorship for this Interview was provided by Premier Applied Sciences.