Hospital-acquired conditions declined by 8% between 2014 and 2016, preventing an estimated 8,000 deaths and $2.9 billion in health care costs, according to results reported recently by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. HACs decreased by an estimated 350,000 over the period, including a 15% decline in infections and adverse drug events, the agency said, largely through the work of 16 Hospital Improvement Innovation Networks.