Two million Americans a year will get a hospital infection and 100,000 will die.

"Hospital-acquired infection is the dirty little secret of healthcare," said Dr. Michael Schmidt, a microbiologist with Medical University of South Carolina.

Microbiologist Michael Schmidt hopes to reduce infections with something that's probably in your pocket.

"Copper is microbiocidal. It's a metal and when the bacteria come in contact with it, they die," he said.

Studies show copper destroys nearly all of infection-causing microbes.

"They're not coming back to life. They are dead and as they say, 'Dead microbes tell no tales,'" said Schmidt.

In Schmidt's study, copper replaces plastic components in bed rails, nurse call buttons, tray tables and keyboards. Dr. Cassandra Salgado says copper adds another layer of protection.

"The thought of being able to reduce our infection rates by using something as simple as this is really, really exciting," she said.

Not only is the goal to save lives, but money too. Currently, hospital infections cost the health care system 30 billion dollars a year.

"We're looking for a 50-percent reduction and that's $15 billion," said Salgado.

It's proof that a little change can go a long way.

Copper is currently being studied in three hospitals on the East Coast.

An additional study is looking at how well copper reduces infections when it's used within hospital air-conditioning systems.