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Armed With Bigger Fines, Medicare To Punish 2,225 Hospitals For Excess Readmissions
Medicare will levy $227 million in fines against hospitals in every state but one for the second round of the government's campaign to reduce the number of patients readmitted within a month, according to federal records released Friday.
Medicare will levy $227 million in fines against hospitals in every state but one for the second round of the government’s campaign to reduce the number of patients readmitted within a month, according to federal records released Friday.
Medicare identified 2,225 hospitals that will have payments reduced for a year starting on Oct. 1. Eighteen hospitals will lose 2 percent, the maximum possible and double the current top penalty. Another 154 will lose 1 percent or more of every payment for a patient stay, the records show. Hospitals that treated large number of low income patients were more likely to be penalized than those treating the fewest impoverished people.
The penalty program, which began in October 2012, is among the toughest of Medicare's efforts to pay hospitals for the quality of their performances rather than merely the number of patients they treat. Unlike other new programs created by the federal health law, the readmissions program offers hospitals no rewards for improvements or the opportunity to opt out.
Read the full story here: http://bit.ly/15Bo7HF
Source: Kaiser Health News
Trump Administration’s Message to Supreme Court Puts New Wrinkle in Braidwood Case
February 21st 2025The Trump administration argues that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr can overrule the US Preventive Services Task Force to determine the preventive services covered under the Affordable Care Act.
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Varied Access: The Pharmacogenetic Testing Coverage Divide
February 18th 2025On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the author of a study published in the February 2025 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® to uncover significant differences in coverage decisions for pharmacogenetic tests across major US health insurers.
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5 Key Health Care Moments During President Trump's First Month Back in Office
February 21st 2025President Donald J. Trump pushed for significant health care changes during his first month back in office, through executive orders affecting managed care, drug pricing, and clinical trial diversity guidance.
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Same-Day Breast Imaging Gaps Reveal Health Care Disparities
February 18th 2025For this retrospective study, the authors examined data on more than 3 million screening mammographies for more than 1 million female patients; of the screenings, 23.6% had abnormal results and only 6.7% were recommended for biopsy.
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