The report in the Washington Post says 4% of patients in the US come down with an infection while they're IN the hospital.
"We go to the hospital hoping to become better, and mostly we do, but not always," one CDC official commented.
That comes to nearly 700,000 people infected in 2011, 75 of them died from the illnesses they developed.
Some of the facilities have cut back on the troubles but there are worries about newer antibiotic-resistant bacteria causing more trouble.
According to the agency, pneumonia, and surgical site issues are the most common at 22%. Those are followed by gastrointestinal infections.
There was better news further into the report. Research indicates troubles from central lines, the pathways to large, important blood vessels have fallen by nearly half since 2008.
The issue is getting attention at the highest level. The 2015 budget put forth by President Obama for 2015 assigns money to help combat antibiotic resistance.
Reuters says so far, nearly 30 drug companies have agreed to cut back the use of antibiotics on livestock.
As always, the most common advice on preventing infections is to be what doctors term "compulsive" about hand washing.