Three local hospitals, including CHRISTUS Santa Rosa and Southwest General, will lose 1% of their Medicare payments over the current federal fiscal year.
The news came when all three hospitals were cited among the 752 hospitals in the nation that have the highest rates of patient injuries on record. This is the fourth year that the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program, a result of the Affordable Care Act, has been in effect.
The purpose of the Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program is for Medicare to penalize hospitals with the highest cases of patient injury. The intention behind it is to reduce the number of avoidable hospital injuries.
Conditions Medicare considers when making the list include:
- The rates of infections from urinary tract catheters.
- The rates of infections from hysterectomies.
- The rates of infections from colon surgeries.
- The rates of infections from central line tubes inserted into veins.
- The rates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Clostridium difficile (C-diff).
- The number of bedsores cases.
- The number of in-facility hip fractures.
- The rates of blood clots.
- The number of Sepsis cases.
- The rates of post-surgical wound ruptures.
While some hospital injuries aren’t preventable, this law provides extra encouragement for hospital staff to be more diligent about preventing the injuries that can be avoided. Hospital workers don't want to be ranked in the bottom quarter of the 3,306 general hospitals that are put under review each year.
The three hospitals were also penalized in the 2017 fiscal year. This year runs October 2017 through September 2018.
No patient or family should suffer because of hospital neglect. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice, please contact the lawyers at Maloney Law Group. We offer a consultation and are here to help. With experience in all areas of medical malpractice including, hospital negligence, medication errors, nursing home negligence and more, we are equipped to get you the justice you deserve. Schedule your consultation today by calling (210) 361-2997.