In a radical rule change to be announced next week, Medicare plans to stop paying for treating reasonably preventable conditions that occur on its patients. The rules forbid passing the payment on to a patient as well. It is being hailed as an advance toward better patient care, with Medicare using its clout to encourage better medical oversight.
"Under the new rules, to be published next week, Medicare will not pay hospitals for the costs of treating certain “conditions that could reasonably have been prevented.”
Among the conditions that will be affected are bedsores, or pressure ulcers; injuries caused by falls; and infections resulting from the prolonged use of catheters in blood vessels or the bladder.
In addition, Medicare says it will not pay for the treatment of “serious preventable events” like leaving a sponge or other object in a patient during surgery and providing a patient with incompatible blood or blood products."
Via NY Times
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