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Should Medicare Pay Hospitals for Leaving Patients Satisfied?
Medicare started doing something differently in October 2012, as part of the new health care law. It began tethering some of hospitals’ payments to patient satisfaction rankings.
All of the sudden, hospitals could get bonuses if their patients gave them a positive review; clean rooms and attentive nurses became relevant to providers’ bottom lines. Hospitals began making big investments in making their patients happier.
While that might improve patient rankings, a new study suggests it will not improve quality of care: There is little relationship between patient satisfaction and the quality of care they receive.
Read the full story here: http://wapo.st/11uTHVu
Source: The Washington Post
Hospital Participation in Medicare ACOs: No Change in Admission Practices and Spending
August 19th 2025Hospital accountable care organization (ACO) participation did not impact emergency department admission rates, length of stay, or costs, suggesting limited effectiveness in reducing spending for unplanned admissions and challenging hospital-led ACO cost-saving strategies.
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Laundromats as a New Frontier in Community Health, Medicaid Outreach
May 29th 2025Lindsey Leininger, PhD, and Allister Chang, MPA, highlight the potential of laundromats as accessible, community-based settings to support Medicaid outreach, foster trust, and connect families with essential health and social services.
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Care Quality Metrics in Medicare During COVID-19 Pandemic
August 12th 2025Medicare Advantage outperformed traditional Medicare on clinical quality measures before and during the COVID-19 pandemic; mid-pandemic, however, traditional Medicare narrowed the gap on some in-person screenings.
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