CMS Sanctions Neglect

Becker’s Hospital CFO Report stated that CMS will cut Medicare payments to 774 hospitals in 2021.  These hospitals had the highest rates of avoidable/preventable injuries and infections.

Five things to know:

1. The Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program prevents harm to patients by providing a financial incentive for hospitals to prevent hospital-acquired conditions. A hospital’s total score is based on performance on several quality measures, including rates of infections, pressure injuries and other complications from neglect.

2. Each year, Medicare cuts payments by 1 percent for hospitals that fall in the worst-performing quartile.

3. CMS identified the 774 hospitals that will have their Medicare payments reduced for patients discharged in fiscal year 2021. The penalties will apply as hospitals submit claims for Medicare reimbursement.

4. The hospital industry complain the program causes hospitals that test for infections to appear among the worst based on statistics, while those with less thorough testing might appear better than they should.

5. The Hospital-Acquired Conditions Reduction Program is in its seventh year. Seventy-seven hospitals have been penalized all seven years.

Read the full Kaiser Health News article here.