Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Makes Important Decision
By: Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2007-09-18 15:02:01.144152-04:00
The state and nation are awakening to the dangers and costs of preventable medical errors and hospital-acquired infections. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid made a powerful move recently by ending payment to hospitals for certain preventable errors the hospitals commit.
This was an excellent decision. Preventable medical errors and hospital-acquired infections kill as many as 195,000 people a year, according to a 2004 HealthGrades study. Without Medicare reimbursement, hospitals will pay more attention to error and infection prevention, which involves simple procedures such as hand washing and better communication with patients.
The Medicare costs will not be passed on to you. Medicare rules prohibit charging patients for the added costs of preventable errors.
In the past months, AARP celebrated the signing of two health care quality victories. One new law mandates screening of all ICU patients for a dangerous infection known as MRSA, and the other requires all hospitals to report their rates of hospital-acquired infections to the public.
AARP also supports public reporting of preventable medical errors that disable and in some cases kill patients. These errors, such as objects left in patients after surgery, bedsores, and wrongly administered prescriptions, kill as many as 198,000 American patients a year according to HealthGrades. The State Assembly has already passed an errors reporting bill under the sponsorship of Asm. Paul Moriarty and Asw. Linda Greenstein. Now the Senate needs to support similar legislation.
Call your state senator today by calling Toll-free in NJ (800)792-8630. Ask them to support the public reporting of major medical error rates specific to hospitals.
Right now only Minnesota reports its errors to the public in a way in which consumers can compare hospitals. Not surprisingly, Minnesota hospitals had the best quality rating in a recent HealthGrades report. New Jersey received the worst rating of all.
Public reporting improves health care quality. AARP believes that as consumers, we have a right to know about the safety of our hospitals so we can make informed decisions about where to receive our care.
Call the AARP Healthcare Quality Hotline at 1 (800) 844-2272. Urge the State Dept. of Health and Senior Services to support public reporting of major medical errors by health care facility.
Other Resources
- What to Look Out For
- Consumers Union Web site dedicated to prevention of hospital-acquired infections.
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