Pennsylvania politicians and health-care professionals have great hopes that a computer tool can fight infections in hospitals and save the health-care system money.

The state government passed a law in 2007 that requires most hospitals to use electronic monitoring software that examines any hospital reports entered into databases. The program allows infection-control experts to quickly determine the source of an infection and how many patients have been exposed.

"It frees up your infection-control people from trying to find infections … so they can get out on the floor and put systems in place so they don't happen again," said Ann Torregrossa, policy director for the Pennsylvania Governor's Office of Health Care Reform.

Gov. Ed Rendell's administration estimated that the infections patients get in hospitals cost the state more than $3.5 billion US.

Under the 2007 law, "electronic surveillance" of infections was required by Dec. 31, although about one-fifth of Pennsylvania's 163 general hospitals have used an out, saying they can't afford the technology.

About half the hospitals participating in the program have the technology in place; the other half face delays because of a shortage of equipment.

Computerized systems "should be considered a tool in data collection but they do not entirely replace [traditional] surveillance," said Louise Kuhny, senior associate director for standards interpretation at the Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits hospitals in the U.S.

Hershey Medical Center in Hershey, Pa., is sold on the computerized system, said Dr. Greg Caputo, chief quality officer. After it was installed 30 months ago, the hospital saw the rate of infections surge in the first year because the system was catching so many that before went undetected.

Since then, the rate has fallen, Caputo said.

"We think their benefit has been proven," Torregrossa said.

With files from the Associated Press